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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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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: press · key · rule · pitcher · spell · bat · row · patient

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bat — the animal
  3. rule — government
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. spell — a short time
  6. press — to push
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. row — to paddle
  9. spell — letters
  10. rule — a law
  11. row — a line
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. key — in music
  18. press — a publisher
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. press — newspapers
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. key — for a lock
  24. spell — magic

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