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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. cold — not warm
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. cold — an illness
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. mark — a grade
  15. pass — a permit
  16. degree — from a university
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. degree — an amount
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bowl — to roll

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