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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. court — of law
  5. current — electric
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. press — a publisher
  8. current — happening now
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. press — newspapers
  14. rock — music
  15. court — for sport
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. court — of a king
  20. press — to push
  21. rock — a stone
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fork — in a road
  24. current — of water

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