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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. track — a song
  5. bulb — for light
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. track — a path
  8. cue — for pool
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. court — for sport
  11. bulb — for light
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. degree — temperature
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bass — the fish
  16. court — of a king
  17. cue — a hint
  18. degree — an amount
  19. court — of law
  20. cue — a signal
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bass — low music

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