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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. band — a music group
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. press — newspapers
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a dance
  13. band — a ring
  14. press — to push
  15. press — a publisher
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. foot — a measure
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. season — of the year
  24. straw — a straw man

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