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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: pass · roll · stick · patient · fork · snap · staff · toast

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. pass — a permit
  3. roll — a list
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. staff — employees
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. roll — a cake
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. staff — employees
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. snap — to click
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. fork — in a road
  24. staff — a stick

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