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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. dip — to sink
  3. kid — to tease
  4. degree — from a university
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. degree — temperature
  13. perch — the fish
  14. kid — child
  15. net — in sport
  16. degree — an amount
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. net — after costs
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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