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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: degree · swing · deal · sharp · calf · tube · squash · patient

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. degree — from a university
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. swing — to play on
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. swing — music
  10. tube — a container
  11. squash — the sport
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — an amount
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. sharp — clever
  18. squash — to crush
  19. tube — the underground
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. swing — in golf

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