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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — the animal
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. current — of water
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. stock — goods
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. stock — shares
  10. current — happening now
  11. tear — to rip
  12. current — electric
  13. press — a publisher
  14. tear — from crying
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pit — a hole
  18. tear — from crying
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. press — newspapers
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. press — to push
  24. pit — in a race

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