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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. tube — the underground
  3. degree — from a university
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. degree — an amount
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. craft — a skill
  8. suit — clothes
  9. sharp — clever
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. degree — temperature
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — of a word
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — boats
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. suit — to fit
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. tube — a container
  22. suit — in cards
  23. root — the cause
  24. sharp — with an edge

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