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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: patient · squash · stand · sharp · net · press · present · bat

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. net — after costs
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. press — newspapers
  6. present — a gift
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. net — for catching
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. press — a publisher
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. stand — to bear
  13. press — to push
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — the sport
  16. present — the time now
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. net — in sport
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. sharp — clever

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