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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 120 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. kid — child
  3. lie — to recline
  4. kid — to tease
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. cue — a hint
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. degree — an amount
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cue — for pool
  15. bass — the fish
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bass — low music
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. cue — a signal
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. lie — an untruth

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