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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mug — a cup
  3. degree — an amount
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. shower — to wash
  7. track — a song
  8. stand — to bear
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. shower — rain
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. mug — a face
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. stock — shares
  16. track — a path
  17. track — to keep track
  18. degree — temperature
  19. stock — goods
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. degree — from a university
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. mug — to rob

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