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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. press — to push
  3. row — to paddle
  4. fall — the season
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — a publisher
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. shower — rain
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. stock — goods
  12. row — a line
  13. game — a match
  14. rest — what's left
  15. shower — to wash
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — shares
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rest — what's left
  22. game — wild animals
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rest — a break

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