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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — from a university
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. face — to point toward
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. face — part of the head
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fork — in a road
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. drill — a practice
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. drill — army training
  19. degree — temperature
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. drill — the tool
  24. face — to confront

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