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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lash · patient · firm · press · craft · degree · rule · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. degree — from a university
  4. firm — decided
  5. game — a match
  6. rule — a law
  7. craft — boats
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. firm — steady
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. press — a publisher
  13. degree — an amount
  14. press — to push
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. craft — a skill
  17. rule — government
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. degree — temperature
  21. press — newspapers
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. firm — a company

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