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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. degree — temperature
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mug — a cup
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bark — to shout
  13. sharp — clever
  14. deal — to handle
  15. degree — an amount
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. mark — a grade
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a face
  23. ball — a great time
  24. mark — to pay attention

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