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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. kick — in football
  3. rush — hurry
  4. lean — thin
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bulb — for light
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bulb — for light
  9. press — to push
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. ball — a great time
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. press — a publisher
  17. ball — a dance
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. press — newspapers
  24. lean — to bend

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