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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 120 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: pitcher · patient · pass · degree · present · sharp · deal · bore

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. sharp — clever
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bore — to drill
  9. present — a gift
  10. present — the time now
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. degree — temperature
  16. deal — to handle
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. degree — from a university
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bore — to tire
  24. present — there

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