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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
468
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: last · scale · row · kid · press · patient · rush · kick

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. press — a publisher
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. last — final
  7. scale — size or range
  8. rush — hurry
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. kid — child
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. press — newspapers
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. scale — in music
  15. row — to paddle
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. kick — in football
  18. kid — to tease
  19. last — to go on
  20. row — a line
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. last — finally
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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