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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — newspapers
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. degree — from a university
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. track — to keep track
  10. chip — to eat
  11. track — a song
  12. degree — an amount
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. chip — for betting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. press — to push
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. degree — temperature
  23. net — for catching
  24. patient — a sick person

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