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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: mug · cell · tear · patient · toast · march · degree · suit

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. suit — to fit
  4. march — the month
  5. cell — a phone
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cell — in biology
  9. march — the month
  10. toast — bread
  11. tear — to rip
  12. mug — a cup
  13. degree — temperature
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. suit — clothes
  17. mug — to rob
  18. degree — from a university
  19. mug — a face
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. tear — from crying
  22. march — music
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. suit — in cards

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