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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. press — to push
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. field — a subject
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a cup
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. press — a publisher
  16. kick — in football
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. press — newspapers
  21. field — for sport
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. field — farmland
  24. racket — for tennis

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