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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. snap — to click
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. march — music
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. march — the month
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. degree — temperature
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. spell — magic
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. degree — an amount
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. march — the month

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