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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. press — newspapers
  3. pass — a permit
  4. tear — to rip
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. tear — from crying
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. tear — from crying
  9. press — to push
  10. press — a publisher
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bass — low music
  13. net — for catching
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. season — of the year
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. net — after costs
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. season — in sport
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cold — an illness
  24. net — in sport

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