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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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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: key · cabinet · patient · press · march · sharp · cell · hand

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. press — to push
  3. press — newspapers
  4. march — the month
  5. cell — in biology
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. sharp — clever
  8. hand — help
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. hand — in cards
  14. key — for a lock
  15. press — a publisher
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. key — in music
  19. march — music
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. key — the most important part
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. march — the month
  24. cabinet — ministers

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