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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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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: wind · pass · court · patient · race · stock · calf · press

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. race — humankind
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. stock — shares
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — a publisher
  12. stock — goods
  13. court — of law
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pass — a permit
  19. race — a contest
  20. press — to push
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — for sport

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