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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: deal · degree · pass · pop · game · patient · date · content

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. deal — to handle
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. game — wild animals
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pass — a permit
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. pop — soda
  11. degree — from a university
  12. pop — to visit
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. degree — temperature
  15. content — happy
  16. content — the amount
  17. degree — an amount
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. game — a match
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. date — the fruit
  24. pop — music

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