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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 120 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. mate — a partner
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. degree — an amount
  7. mate — to breed
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. squash — to crush
  10. pop — to visit
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. mate — a friend
  14. press — newspapers
  15. degree — temperature
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. pop — soda
  19. degree — from a university
  20. pop — music
  21. foot — a measure
  22. press — to push
  23. press — a publisher
  24. patient — a sick person

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