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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. content — happy
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pop — soda
  6. row — to paddle
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. fine — high quality
  9. press — a publisher
  10. race — a contest
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. content — the amount
  13. fine — all right
  14. race — the arms race
  15. chip — to eat
  16. press — newspapers
  17. pop — to visit
  18. press — to push
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. pop — music
  21. race — humankind
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. chip — for betting
  24. content — videos and posts

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