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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. game — a match
  6. press — newspapers
  7. land — to come down
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. deal — to handle
  11. stem — to come from
  12. sharp — clever
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. press — a publisher
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. game — wild animals
  17. land — ground
  18. press — to push
  19. land — a country
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — a leader
  24. stem — a stem cell

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