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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. board — to get on
  3. shower — to wash
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. board — a committee
  6. field — a subject
  7. press — to push
  8. court — of a king
  9. field — for sport
  10. mate — a partner
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. press — a publisher
  14. field — farmland
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. shower — rain
  18. court — of law
  19. mate — to breed
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. court — for sport
  23. mate — a friend
  24. board — a flat piece

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