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

Word bank: race · firm · drill · snap · patient · press · chair · calf

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. chair — a leader
  4. firm — decided
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. firm — steady
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. race — humankind
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. snap — to click
  12. press — newspapers
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. race — the arms race
  16. firm — a company
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — army training
  19. press — to push
  20. drill — the tool
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. race — a contest
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. press — a publisher

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