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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. press — a publisher
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — the sport
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. row — a line
  8. charge — a price
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. press — newspapers
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. hand — help
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. game — wild animals
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. press — to push
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. game — a match
  19. charge — in control
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. row — to paddle
  24. charge — electricity

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