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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: fine · coach · pitcher · last · mug · mate · press · chest

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fine — high quality
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. press — a publisher
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — to rob
  11. last — to go on
  12. fine — all right
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. press — newspapers
  17. last — finally
  18. mate — a partner
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. last — final
  22. chest — of your body
  23. press — to push
  24. fine — a penalty

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