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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. press — a publisher
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — a practice
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. drill — army training
  7. cell — in biology
  8. game — a match
  9. staff — a stick
  10. fall — to drop
  11. game — wild animals
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fall — to drop
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. cell — a phone
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. fall — the season
  20. chip — to eat
  21. staff — employees
  22. chip — for betting
  23. press — to push
  24. staff — employees

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