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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — a position
  6. press — to push
  7. sharp — clever
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. mate — to breed
  11. press — newspapers
  12. wax — to grow
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ground — the earth
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a leader
  20. press — a publisher
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. mate — a friend
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. mate — a partner

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