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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 · sharp · patient · mark · shower · content · bay · lean

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. shower — rain
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — a grade
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. lean — thin
  9. degree — from a university
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — to bend
  18. sharp — clever
  19. shower — to wash
  20. content — happy
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. degree — temperature
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. content — the amount

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