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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: bay · safe · season · cold · degree · stick · chair · patient

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. degree — temperature
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. cold — an illness
  9. degree — an amount
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. chair — a leader
  15. cold — not warm
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — to add flavour

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