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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. present — there
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. press — to push
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. face — part of the head
  10. press — a publisher
  11. present — a gift
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. face — to confront
  15. press — newspapers
  16. fine — all right
  17. chair — a leader
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. court — of a king
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. present — the time now
  22. court — of law
  23. fine — high quality
  24. face — to point toward

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