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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. spring — the season
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. press — to push
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. shower — to wash
  13. press — newspapers
  14. spring — a coil
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. shower — rain
  18. mark — a grade
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. kick — in football
  22. press — a publisher
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. spring — of water

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