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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. season — in sport
  7. chest — of your body
  8. clip — for paper
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. clip — to cut
  11. charge — in control
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. charge — electricity
  14. lie — to recline
  15. chest — of your body
  16. season — of the year
  17. clip — a video
  18. press — newspapers
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. chest — a box
  22. press — to push
  23. charge — a price
  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