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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. squash — the sport
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bound — tied together
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. degree — an amount
  7. dip — to sink
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. degree — from a university
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. degree — temperature
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — completely
  15. wax — to grow
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bound — obliged
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. sharp — clever
  21. squash — to crush
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. wax — in the ear

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