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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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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. race — humankind
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. press — a publisher
  7. toast — bread
  8. press — to push
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bound — obliged
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. key — the most important part
  14. race — a contest
  15. key — in music
  16. bound — certain
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. race — the arms race
  21. key — for a lock
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bound — tied together
  24. pass — to spend time

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