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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: bound · rule · press · field · swing · ball · cabinet · patient

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. bound — tied together
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a dance
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — music
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bound — obliged
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. field — for sport
  13. swing — to play on
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. rule — government
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — farmland
  21. bound — certain
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rule — a law

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