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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.

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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 · bass · saw · game · drill · rush · stock · patient

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. drill — army training
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. stock — goods
  5. game — a match
  6. stock — shares
  7. degree — from a university
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. rush — hurry
  10. drill — a practice
  11. game — wild animals
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. saw — the tool
  15. degree — an amount
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. saw — the tool
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. degree — temperature
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. drill — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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