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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. press — to push
  3. pit — a hole
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. hand — help
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. present — the time now
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. present — a gift
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. pit — in a race
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. press — newspapers
  17. present — there
  18. press — a publisher

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