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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — from a university
  3. lean — to bend
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. degree — temperature
  6. mug — a face
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mug — to rob
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. lean — thin
  13. stock — shares
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. mug — a cup
  19. stock — goods
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. perch — the fish

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