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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: race · cap · season · last · patient · pitcher · club · press

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. race — the arms race
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. press — to push
  7. last — finally
  8. club — a group
  9. last — final
  10. race — humankind
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a lid
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. race — a contest
  16. season — of the year
  17. press — a publisher
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cap — a hat
  20. club — for dancing
  21. last — to go on
  22. season — in sport
  23. club — for golf
  24. press — newspapers

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