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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. press — a publisher
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. file — a document
  6. squash — to crush
  7. clip — to cut
  8. press — newspapers
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. file — a line of people
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. squash — the sport
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. game — a match
  15. game — wild animals
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. file — a tool
  18. press — to push

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