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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: rule · patient · mate · coach · chest · pit

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rule — a law
  4. mate — to breed
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pit — a hole
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. chest — a box
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. chest — of your body
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. mate — a partner
  17. rule — government
  18. pit — in a race

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