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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. degree — temperature
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. land — a country
  6. swing — to play on
  7. land — to come down
  8. rule — government
  9. rule — a law
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. staff — employees
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. land — ground
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. swing — music
  17. degree — from a university
  18. content — the amount
  19. degree — an amount
  20. staff — a stick
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. swing — in golf
  23. staff — employees
  24. content — happy

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