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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 120 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. key — the most important part
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. can — a tin
  6. key — for a lock
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. press — to push
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. sharp — clever
  14. can — to be able to
  15. game — wild animals
  16. deal — to handle
  17. key — in music
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. can — a tin
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. press — newspapers
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. press — a publisher

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