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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. net — in sport
  4. press — newspapers
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pop — music
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. net — for catching
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pop — to visit
  11. press — to push
  12. chip — for betting
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. net — after costs
  16. chip — to eat
  17. pop — soda
  18. game — a match
  19. press — a publisher
  20. pound — a weight
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. game — wild animals
  24. cabinet — ministers

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