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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: race · club · toast · hand · press · bore · net · patient

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. race — a contest
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bore — to drill
  5. race — the arms race
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. press — to push
  9. club — for golf
  10. press — a publisher
  11. hand — in cards
  12. net — for catching
  13. race — humankind
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. hand — help
  18. toast — bread
  19. club — for dancing
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. club — a group
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bore — to tire

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