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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. press — a publisher
  6. game — a match
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. suit — in cards
  13. game — wild animals
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. suit — clothes
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. object — a thing
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. press — to push
  20. object — to protest
  21. press — newspapers
  22. suit — to fit
  23. court — of a king
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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