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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. press — a publisher
  3. suit — clothes
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — part of the head
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. clip — to cut
  9. suit — in cards
  10. press — newspapers
  11. plane — a tool
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. face — to point toward
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. suit — to fit
  17. degree — from a university
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. degree — temperature
  20. press — to push
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. foot — a measure
  24. degree — an amount

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