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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: ball · file · degree · pit · pitcher · patient · present · cap

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. degree — an amount
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cap — a lid
  7. present — a gift
  8. pit — a hole
  9. file — a line of people
  10. present — the time now
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. file — a tool
  13. present — there
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. ball — a great time
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — temperature
  20. cap — a hat
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. file — a document
  23. pit — in a race
  24. cap — of ice

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