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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: fine · hand · patient · bat · degree · squash · pass · cap

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. cap — of ice
  3. degree — an amount
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. bat — the animal
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. fine — all right
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pass — a permit
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. squash — the sport
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. degree — temperature
  19. fine — high quality
  20. squash — to crush
  21. cap — a lid
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. hand — in cards

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