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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. can — a tin
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rash — a series
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. chip — for betting
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. can — to be able to
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. degree — an amount
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. can — a tin
  16. chip — to eat
  17. deal — to handle
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. rash — hasty
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — from a university
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — for weighing

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