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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
468
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: press · mug · drill · pit · patient · squash · capital · roll

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. mug — a face
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. pit — in a race
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. press — to push
  9. press — newspapers
  10. squash — the sport
  11. roll — a list
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mug — to rob
  14. drill — the tool
  15. pit — a hole
  16. capital — money
  17. squash — to crush
  18. mug — a cup
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. press — a publisher
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — army training
  23. capital — a city
  24. patient — a sick person

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