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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. staff — employees
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — a trail
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. rash — hasty
  9. capital — money
  10. press — a publisher
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. press — newspapers
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. capital — a city
  15. rash — a series
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. date — the fruit
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. staff — a stick
  24. press — to push

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