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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.

Make a worksheet

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: spell · bowl · fan · patient · pit · chair · sharp · degree

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. spell — magic
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — in a race
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. spell — letters
  19. degree — from a university
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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