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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. last — final
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bat — the animal
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. last — to go on
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. press — newspapers
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. press — to push
  16. bass — low music
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. last — finally
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. lean — thin
  22. press — a publisher
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bat — in an idiom

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