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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.

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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: pit · saw · degree · patient · temple · content · deal · lash

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. content — the amount
  3. pit — a hole
  4. degree — temperature
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — in a race
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. saw — the tool
  12. content — happy
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. degree — an 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