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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
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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: perch · net · patient · rush · game · cell · can · degree

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. net — in sport
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — temperature
  5. can — to be able to
  6. degree — an amount
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. can — a tin
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. game — a match
  13. cell — in biology
  14. net — after costs
  15. perch — the fish
  16. can — a tin
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. game — wild animals
  19. net — for catching
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rush — hurry
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cell — a phone
  24. patient — a sick person

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