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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. cell — in biology
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mark — a grade
  7. cell — a phone
  8. drill — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. press — to push
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. drill — a practice
  14. press — a publisher
  15. pop — to visit
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pop — music
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. pop — soda
  21. press — newspapers
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — to pay attention

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