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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · press · straw · pitch · date · roll · cue · hand

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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. hand — part of the body
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. hand — help
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. press — a publisher
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. roll — a list
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cue — a hint
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. hand — in cards
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pitch — completely
  22. roll — a cake
  23. date — the fruit
  24. cue — for pool

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