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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pass — a permit
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. press — a publisher
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. net — for catching
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pound — a weight
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. press — to push
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fine — all right
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. net — after costs
  20. press — newspapers
  21. net — in sport
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. fine — high quality
  24. pound — to hit hard

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