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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. chip — for betting
  3. court — for sport
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — a publisher
  6. hand — help
  7. chip — to eat
  8. last — final
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. press — to push
  11. last — finally
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. spell — magic
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. hand — in cards
  17. last — to go on
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. court — of a king
  20. spell — letters
  21. court — of law
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. spell — a short time
  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