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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. staff — a stick
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. press — a publisher
  6. ground — the earth
  7. present — there
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — the time now
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. press — newspapers
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. ground — a position
  14. press — to push
  15. staff — employees
  16. band — a music group
  17. ground — crushed
  18. court — of a king
  19. fine — all right
  20. court — for sport
  21. staff — employees
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. court — of law
  24. patient — a sick person

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