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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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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: march · present · coach · pit · press · temple

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. pit — in a race
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. press — to push
  8. march — music
  9. pit — a hole
  10. present — the time now
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. present — there
  16. press — newspapers
  17. present — a gift
  18. press — a publisher

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