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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. staff — a stick
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. row — a line
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. staff — employees
  9. game — wild animals
  10. mine — for digging
  11. press — to push
  12. press — a publisher
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. press — newspapers
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. staff — employees
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bass — the fish
  20. game — a match
  21. row — to paddle
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. bass — low music

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