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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. root — the cause
  6. club — a group
  7. rush — hurry
  8. spell — a short time
  9. fine — all right
  10. press — a publisher
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. club — for dancing
  13. spell — letters
  14. fine — high quality
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. press — newspapers
  18. spell — magic
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. root — of a word
  21. press — to push
  22. club — for golf
  23. bat — the animal
  24. root — of a plant

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