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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. pit — in a race
  3. field — a subject
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. field — farmland
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. degree — an amount
  12. field — for sport
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. chip — for betting
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. degree — temperature
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — a hole
  21. chip — to eat
  22. branch — a division
  23. degree — from a university
  24. dip — to sink

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