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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 120 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. face — to point toward
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. press — a publisher
  7. face — to confront
  8. shower — to wash
  9. swing — in golf
  10. season — of the year
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. shower — rain
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. swing — music
  18. press — newspapers
  19. swing — to play on
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — in sport
  23. press — to push
  24. face — part of the head

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