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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 120 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. press — newspapers
  6. can — a tin
  7. chest — of your body
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. press — to push
  10. court — for sport
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. chest — of your body
  13. mine — for digging
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bat — the animal
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. press — a publisher
  20. chest — a box
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — of law
  24. bat — in an idiom

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