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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. staff — employees
  3. file — a line of people
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. ground — a position
  7. degree — from a university
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cap — a hat
  10. file — a document
  11. craft — a skill
  12. staff — a stick
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. staff — employees
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ground — the earth
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — of ice
  19. degree — an amount
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — a stone
  22. file — a tool
  23. degree — temperature
  24. craft — boats

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