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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: patient · degree · coach · sharp · bowl · net · craft · current

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — an amount
  6. current — of water
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. sharp — clever
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. net — after costs
  16. current — electric
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. net — for catching
  19. craft — a skill
  20. net — in sport
  21. current — happening now
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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