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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 116 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. clip — for paper
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — all right
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. board — to get on
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. clip — to cut
  16. degree — temperature
  17. board — a committee
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. clip — a video
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. bay — a horse colour

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