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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — for sport
  3. chair — a leader
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rash — hasty
  7. press — newspapers
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — an aim
  10. march — music
  11. rash — a series
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. court — of a king
  14. march — the month
  15. rule — a law
  16. rule — government
  17. march — the month
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. object — a thing
  21. press — to push
  22. press — a publisher
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. rule — to rule out

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