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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. cap — a hat
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rest — what's left
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. net — after costs
  7. press — a publisher
  8. net — in sport
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rest — a break
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. cap — a lid
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. net — for catching
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cap — of ice
  20. press — to push
  21. cold — an illness
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. cold — not warm
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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