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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. squash — the sport
  4. craft — a skill
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. squash — to crush
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. rash — a series
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rash — hasty
  14. mine — for digging
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. firm — a company
  17. firm — steady
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. craft — boats
  22. degree — from a university
  23. firm — decided
  24. mine — an explosive

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