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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fine — all right
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. lean — thin
  6. ground — crushed
  7. pit — a hole
  8. degree — from a university
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. ground — the earth
  11. hand — in cards
  12. degree — temperature
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. fine — high quality
  17. hand — help
  18. row — to paddle
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. ground — a position
  21. row — a line
  22. degree — an amount
  23. lean — to bend
  24. fine — a penalty

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