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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. press — newspapers
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. club — for dancing
  5. perch — the fish
  6. last — to go on
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. club — a group
  11. mate — a partner
  12. press — to push
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mate — to breed
  15. last — finally
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. last — final
  18. press — a publisher
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. club — for golf
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. mate — a friend

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