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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. net — in sport
  9. charge — a price
  10. net — for catching
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. press — a publisher
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. net — after costs
  15. charge — in control
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. charge — electricity
  18. stock — goods
  19. press — newspapers
  20. row — to paddle
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. stock — shares
  24. press — to push

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