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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 120 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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  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. dip — a sauce
  2. degree — from a university
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. degree — temperature
  7. saw — the tool
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bank — of a river
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bank — for money
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bank — for money
  18. sharp — clever
  19. saw — the tool
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — to sink
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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