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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 116 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. press — to push
  4. suit — clothes
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. row — to paddle
  9. press — a publisher
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. squash — the sport
  12. suit — to fit
  13. staff — a stick
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. staff — employees
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. press — newspapers
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — to crush
  23. suit — in cards
  24. row — a line

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