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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. craft — a skill
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. degree — temperature
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. degree — from a university
  12. craft — boats
  13. degree — an amount
  14. ground — a position
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pass — a permit
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. stock — goods
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. ground — the earth
  22. stock — shares
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. patient — a sick person

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