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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. pound — a weight
  3. mine — for digging
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. spring — the season
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. spring — of water
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — temperature
  11. game — a match
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. degree — an amount
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. spring — a coil
  24. mine — an explosive

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com