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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. scale — in music
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. degree — from a university
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cue — a hint
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. firm — a company
  16. cue — for pool
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. firm — steady
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. scale — size or range
  23. cue — a signal
  24. dip — to sink

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