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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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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: ball · patient · mate · mark · degree · pit · key · arm

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. mate — a friend
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. degree — temperature
  6. ball — a great time
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. key — the most important part
  9. ball — a dance
  10. mark — a grade
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a hole
  13. degree — from a university
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. key — for a lock
  16. mate — to breed
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. degree — an amount
  20. key — in music
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mark — a trace
  24. patient — a sick person

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