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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. last — final
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. chest — a box
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. pop — music
  12. cue — for pool
  13. degree — an amount
  14. pop — soda
  15. cue — a signal
  16. degree — from a university
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. fine — high quality
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. last — finally
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. last — to go on
  24. pop — to visit

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