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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: season · jam · pit · drill · degree · patient · cabinet · hide

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. season — of the year
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. degree — from a university
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. season — in sport
  9. pit — a hole
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. drill — army training
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — the tool
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. degree — an amount
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. degree — temperature
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. pit — in a race
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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