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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 · rule · key · staff · ground · pit · last · press

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. last — final
  3. pit — in a race
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. key — for a lock
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. ground — a position
  8. rule — a law
  9. key — the most important part
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — government
  12. staff — employees
  13. ground — the earth
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. last — to go on
  16. press — newspapers
  17. key — in music
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — a stick
  20. press — to push
  21. pit — a hole
  22. press — a publisher
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. last — finally

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