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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. court — of law
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. charge — in control
  7. press — to push
  8. charge — a price
  9. net — in sport
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. charge — electricity
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. press — a publisher
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. net — after costs
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bear — the animal
  20. court — of a king
  21. press — newspapers
  22. net — for catching
  23. kick — in football
  24. court — for sport

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