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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. current — happening now
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. current — electric
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. bat — the animal
  7. press — to push
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. press — a publisher
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. object — an aim
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. current — of water
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. object — to protest
  23. object — a thing
  24. mouse — the animal

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