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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — an amount
  4. sharp — clever
  5. season — in sport
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. degree — temperature
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a hole
  11. mug — a cup
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. mug — to rob
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. chip — for betting
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. mug — a face
  20. chip — to eat
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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