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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. degree — from a university
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. race — the arms race
  11. saw — the tool
  12. race — humankind
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mine — for digging
  18. fine — high quality
  19. race — a contest
  20. fine — all right
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. degree — an amount
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. degree — temperature

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