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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. press — newspapers
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. content — the amount
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. content — happy
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — of law
  11. press — to push
  12. squash — to crush
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. court — for sport
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. date — the fruit
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. press — a publisher
  23. squash — the sport
  24. date — on the calendar

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