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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. press — to push
  4. face — to point toward
  5. fall — to drop
  6. track — a path
  7. court — for sport
  8. face — part of the head
  9. court — of law
  10. track — a song
  11. fall — the season
  12. track — to keep track
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. face — to confront
  15. court — of a king
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — a container
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. press — newspapers
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. fall — to drop
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cell — a phone

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