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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. season — of the year
  3. press — newspapers
  4. file — a tool
  5. ball — a great time
  6. file — a document
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. scale — in music
  10. season — in sport
  11. mark — a trace
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. spring — the season
  14. press — to push
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. spring — a coil
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. scale — size or range
  19. file — a line of people
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a grade
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. ball — a dance
  24. spring — of water

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