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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 124 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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. degree — temperature
  3. chest — of your body
  4. degree — an amount
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. ball — a great time
  7. chest — a box
  8. degree — from a university
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. suit — in cards
  12. season — in sport
  13. wind — moving air
  14. season — of the year
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. chest — of your body
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. ball — a dance
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. suit — to fit

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