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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. fine — all right
  3. land — ground
  4. wound — an injury
  5. degree — from a university
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pass — a permit
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — goods
  13. degree — an amount
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. rock — a stone
  16. degree — temperature
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rock — music
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. fine — high quality
  21. land — a country
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. land — to come down
  24. wound — an injury

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