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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 116 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: pass · press · patient · ground · rest · sharp · season · ball

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. rest — a break
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. rest — what's left
  8. ball — a dance
  9. season — in sport
  10. rest — what's left
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pass — a permit
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. ground — a position
  16. press — to push
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — a publisher
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. season — of the year
  22. sharp — clever
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pass — to spend time

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