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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. press — a publisher
  3. last — final
  4. game — wild animals
  5. press — to push
  6. plane — a tool
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. last — to go on
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. last — finally
  17. press — newspapers
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. game — a match
  24. chair — a leader

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