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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. press — to push
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. hand — in cards
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. staff — employees
  14. rule — government
  15. hand — help
  16. ball — a great time
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. press — a publisher
  20. staff — a stick
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. press — newspapers
  23. rule — a law
  24. staff — employees

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