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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. press — to push
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wound — an injury
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bore — to drill
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. fine — all right
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bore — to tire
  16. fine — high quality
  17. game — wild animals
  18. press — a publisher
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. game — a match
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — in cards
  24. press — newspapers

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