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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: squash · ball · stick · patient · safe · wound · degree · club

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — a group
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — the sport
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. degree — from a university
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. ball — a great time
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. squash — to crush
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. ball — a dance
  17. club — for dancing
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wound — an injury
  20. degree — an amount
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. degree — temperature
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wound — an injury

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