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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. press — a publisher
  3. object — a thing
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. row — a line
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. press — to push
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. court — of law
  11. game — wild animals
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — to protest
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — to paddle
  17. court — of a king
  18. press — newspapers
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. game — a match
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. game — a kind of play

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