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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. chip — for betting
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. game — a match
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. rush — hurry
  13. degree — temperature
  14. chip — to eat
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. fine — all right
  20. degree — from a university
  21. game — wild animals
  22. fine — high quality
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rush — a thrill

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