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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: rule · patient · stock · pitch · object · race · last · press

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. object — to protest
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pitch — completely
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — a law
  9. last — final
  10. stock — shares
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. object — an aim
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. stock — goods
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. last — finally
  17. press — newspapers
  18. object — a thing
  19. race — the arms race
  20. press — a publisher
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. race — a contest
  23. last — to go on
  24. press — to push

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