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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: racket · degree · coach · last · patient · fan · shower · present

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — temperature
  6. last — to go on
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — there
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. last — finally
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. degree — an amount
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. shower — to wash
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. shower — rain
  23. last — final
  24. fan — a supporter

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