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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 120 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. press — a publisher
  3. object — to protest
  4. clip — for paper
  5. current — electric
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. lie — to recline
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. press — to push
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. current — happening now
  16. clip — a video
  17. game — wild animals
  18. current — of water
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. clip — to cut
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. object — a thing
  23. press — newspapers
  24. object — an aim

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