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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. chip — to eat
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. chip — for betting
  6. march — music
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. pound — a weight
  9. march — the month
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mine — for digging
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. press — to push
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. ball — a dance
  20. press — newspapers
  21. ball — a great time
  22. press — a publisher
  23. march — the month
  24. pound — to hit hard

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