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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — the time now
  3. net — after costs
  4. court — for sport
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. court — of law
  7. present — there
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. press — newspapers
  11. net — in sport
  12. press — a publisher
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — a committee
  15. net — for catching
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bore — to drill
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. press — to push
  23. board — to get on
  24. court — of a king

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