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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. mark — a grade
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. tube — the underground
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. mark — a trace
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. degree — from a university
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. degree — temperature
  15. tube — a container
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. spell — magic
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — letters
  22. plane — a tool
  23. dip — to sink
  24. tube — in a tire

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