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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 116 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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. staff — employees
  3. pass — a permit
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. staff — a stick
  6. land — ground
  7. press — a publisher
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — in football
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — a country
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — the arms race
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. press — to push
  17. race — a contest
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. press — newspapers
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wound — an injury
  24. staff — employees

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