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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mark — a grade
  5. ball — a great time
  6. mark — a trace
  7. squash — the sport
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. squash — to crush
  13. content — the amount
  14. ball — a dance
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. deal — to handle
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — happy
  23. degree — from a university
  24. squash — the vegetable

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