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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 124 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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. firm — steady
  3. firm — a company
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — for dancing
  6. game — a match
  7. spell — letters
  8. net — after costs
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. spell — magic
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. net — in sport
  13. firm — decided
  14. club — a group
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. spell — a short time
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. net — for catching
  24. degree — from a university

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