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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 116 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: key · ground · degree · hide · pitcher · craft · ball · patient

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  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. ground — crushed
  2. ground — a position
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. ball — a dance
  5. key — for a lock
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. degree — temperature
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. key — the most important part
  14. ground — the earth
  15. craft — boats
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. craft — a skill
  18. degree — from a university
  19. key — in music
  20. ball — a great time
  21. degree — an amount
  22. hide — to keep secret
  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