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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 116 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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. mark — a trace
  3. degree — an amount
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. court — of a king
  8. degree — from a university
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. fine — all right
  11. degree — temperature
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. court — of law
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. kid — child
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. kid — to tease
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. fine — high quality
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. court — for sport
  23. mark — a grade
  24. fine — a penalty

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