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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 120 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: press · march · racket · chest · pass · fork · rush · patient

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pass — a permit
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. chest — of your body
  9. press — to push
  10. fork — in a road
  11. press — a publisher
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. march — the month
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. rush — hurry
  21. chest — a box
  22. march — the month
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. press — newspapers

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