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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. press — a publisher
  3. squash — to crush
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. march — the month
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. drill — a practice
  10. march — music
  11. chair — a leader
  12. march — the month
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. vault — a safe
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. press — newspapers
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — army training
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. press — to push
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bowl — a football final

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