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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. firm — steady
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. chair — a leader
  9. firm — a company
  10. band — a ring
  11. press — newspapers
  12. cell — a phone
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. press — to push
  15. press — a publisher
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. band — a music group
  19. cell — in biology
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. dip — to sink
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. fan — a supporter

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