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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: cold · bat · stick · net · safe · mouse · press · patient

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. press — newspapers
  5. net — for catching
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. press — a publisher
  9. net — after costs
  10. cold — not warm
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cold — an illness
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. bat — the animal
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. net — in sport
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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