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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. clip — to cut
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. shower — to wash
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. shower — rain
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. degree — from a university
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. degree — temperature
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pass — a permit
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. clip — a video
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. degree — an amount
  24. clip — for paper

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