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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. fork — in a road
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cap — a hat
  12. kick — in football
  13. press — to push
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. game — a match
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — wild animals
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — newspapers
  24. cap — a lid

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