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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. spell — a short time
  3. rush — hurry
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. lean — to bend
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. game — a match
  9. pass — a permit
  10. press — to push
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. lean — thin
  14. spell — magic
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — a publisher
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. spell — letters
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — in a race

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