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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. file — a line of people
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. kick — in football
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. court — of a king
  9. file — a tool
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. press — newspapers
  12. land — ground
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. file — a document
  16. land — a country
  17. court — of law
  18. press — a publisher
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. press — to push
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. land — to come down
  24. patient — a sick person

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