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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. rule — government
  3. degree — from a university
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bass — low music
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. degree — an amount
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bass — the fish
  14. foot — a measure
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. charge — electricity
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. charge — in control
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. charge — a price
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. date — the fruit

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