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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. chair — a leader
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. press — a publisher
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. press — newspapers
  13. kid — to tease
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. kid — child
  16. press — to push
  17. pass — a permit
  18. last — finally
  19. pound — a weight
  20. last — to go on
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. last — final
  24. pass — to spend time

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