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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 116 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. press — newspapers
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. land — to come down
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. press — to push
  9. bat — the animal
  10. branch — a division
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. land — a country
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. land — ground
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. mark — a trace
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. mark — a grade
  24. rush — a thrill

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