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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: degree · suit · patient · chest · lie · ball · mark · pop

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. suit — clothes
  3. chest — of your body
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — a grade
  7. chest — a box
  8. suit — to fit
  9. degree — temperature
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — to recline
  12. ball — a great time
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. degree — an amount
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. degree — from a university
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pop — to visit
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pop — soda
  23. ball — a dance
  24. pop — music

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