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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  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. foot — the bottom
  2. foot — a measure
  3. staff — employees
  4. press — to push
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. chest — of your body
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. rule — a law
  11. staff — a stick
  12. chest — a box
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. rule — government
  15. press — newspapers
  16. staff — employees
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. chest — of your body
  23. patient — a sick person
  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