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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. pit — in a race
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bulb — for light
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. press — a publisher
  10. game — wild animals
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bulb — for light
  15. press — to push
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. press — newspapers
  18. wake — a trail
  19. game — a match
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. branch — a division
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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