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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. shower — rain
  4. ground — a position
  5. rash — hasty
  6. press — a publisher
  7. rash — a series
  8. press — newspapers
  9. fall — the season
  10. sharp — clever
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. swing — music
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. swing — in golf
  15. ground — the earth
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. swing — to play on
  20. ground — crushed
  21. fall — to drop
  22. press — to push
  23. shower — to wash
  24. fall — to drop

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