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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. ball — a great time
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — low music
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cell — a phone
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. press — a publisher
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. game — a match
  13. press — to push
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. press — newspapers
  17. game — wild animals
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. stem — to come from
  21. board — a committee
  22. ball — a dance
  23. board — to get on
  24. patient — a sick person

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