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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. fine — all right
  3. rock — a stone
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. fine — high quality
  6. wound — an injury
  7. shower — rain
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. degree — from a university
  15. rock — music
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. shower — to wash
  22. degree — temperature
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. patient — a sick person

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