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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. current — happening now
  6. ground — a position
  7. mate — a partner
  8. press — a publisher
  9. current — of water
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mate — to breed
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mark — a trace
  17. press — newspapers
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — the earth
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. current — electric

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