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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — clever
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. press — to push
  6. branch — a division
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. mark — a grade
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. last — finally
  11. press — newspapers
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. press — a publisher
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bat — the animal
  18. last — final
  19. last — to go on
  20. mark — a trace
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. branch — of a bank

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