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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 124 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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. ground — the earth
  3. plane — a tool
  4. hand — in cards
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. kick — in football
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — crushed
  11. date — the fruit
  12. fall — the season
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fall — to drop
  15. press — newspapers
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. hand — help
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. press — to push
  23. fall — to drop
  24. hand — part of the body

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