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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
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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: patient · degree · pitcher · jam · sharp · saw · game · current

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. current — happening now
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. degree — temperature
  5. current — electric
  6. game — a match
  7. current — of water
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. degree — from a university
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. degree — an amount
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. saw — the tool
  23. game — wild animals
  24. sharp — clever

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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