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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. rule — a law
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. court — of a king
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. court — of law
  7. degree — from a university
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. degree — temperature
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. fork — in a road
  17. press — to push
  18. court — for sport
  19. rule — government
  20. press — newspapers
  21. degree — an amount
  22. press — a publisher
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. rush — hurry

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