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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: charge · club · patient · press · court · hide · wound · race

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. wound — an injury
  3. club — for golf
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. club — a group
  6. race — humankind
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — electricity
  10. race — a contest
  11. court — of law
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — newspapers
  14. race — the arms race
  15. court — for sport
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. court — of a king
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. club — for dancing
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. wound — an injury
  23. charge — in control
  24. patient — a sick person

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