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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. chest — of your body
  5. vault — a safe
  6. bank — for money
  7. degree — an amount
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bank — of a river
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bank — for money
  14. chest — a box
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. degree — from a university
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. staff — a stick
  19. present — the time now
  20. present — there
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. present — a gift
  23. staff — employees
  24. degree — temperature

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