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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. court — of law
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. press — a publisher
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. rash — hasty
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. press — to push
  11. court — of a king
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. rash — a series
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. hand — help
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. press — newspapers
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. court — for sport
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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