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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. key — in music
  3. rush — hurry
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. present — the time now
  7. mark — a grade
  8. bore — to drill
  9. degree — temperature
  10. key — for a lock
  11. degree — from a university
  12. file — a line of people
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. file — a tool
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mark — a trace
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. present — there
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. present — a gift
  22. key — the most important part
  23. file — a document
  24. degree — an amount

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