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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. fall — the season
  4. degree — from a university
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. present — a gift
  8. fall — to drop
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. fall — to drop
  12. present — there
  13. degree — temperature
  14. club — a group
  15. present — the time now
  16. content — happy
  17. content — the amount
  18. club — for dancing
  19. degree — an amount
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. squash — to crush
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. squash — the sport
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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