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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. press — to push
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. capital — money
  9. foot — a measure
  10. cell — in biology
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. rash — a series
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. cell — a phone
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. press — a publisher
  19. capital — a city
  20. press — newspapers
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. rash — hasty

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