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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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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: bat · rush · stick · patient · season · current · lie · degree

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bat — the animal
  3. season — in sport
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. current — electric
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. season — of the year
  8. degree — an amount
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. lie — to recline
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. degree — from a university
  14. rush — hurry
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. current — of water
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. degree — temperature
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. patient — a sick person

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