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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. degree — an amount
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. board — to get on
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. mug — a cup
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mug — to rob
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — ground
  15. sharp — clever
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mug — a face
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. degree — from a university
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — a committee
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. land — a country
  24. degree — temperature

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