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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. staff — employees
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. press — a publisher
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. press — newspapers
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — a stick
  12. hand — help
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fine — all right
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. hand — in cards
  19. press — to push
  20. rock — music
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rock — a stone
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. pitch — completely

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