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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. firm — steady
  4. clip — for paper
  5. firm — decided
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — temperature
  8. face — to point toward
  9. can — a tin
  10. ball — a dance
  11. can — a tin
  12. clip — a video
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. can — to be able to
  15. clip — to cut
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. firm — a company
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. ball — a great time
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to confront
  24. patient — a sick person

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