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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. mug — a cup
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. content — the amount
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. degree — an amount
  12. content — happy
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. mug — a face
  15. track — a path
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. track — to keep track
  18. mug — to rob
  19. degree — from a university
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. sharp — clever
  23. track — a song
  24. degree — temperature

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