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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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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. kid — child
  8. press — to push
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. kid — to tease
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. deal — to handle
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom

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