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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. spell — a short time
  4. race — a contest
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. press — a publisher
  8. spell — magic
  9. net — after costs
  10. spell — letters
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. root — of a word
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. press — newspapers
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. root — of a plant
  17. net — in sport
  18. pound — a weight
  19. stand — to bear
  20. press — to push
  21. race — the arms race
  22. root — the cause
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. race — humankind

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