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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: chip · bound · press · file · bat · cap · coach · patient

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. file — a document
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. press — newspapers
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bound — tied together
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bound — obliged
  14. file — a tool
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. press — a publisher
  17. cap — a lid
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bound — certain
  21. chip — to eat
  22. press — to push
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. coach — a trainer

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