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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: press · pit · lie · patient · mate · coach · row · racket

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. press — a publisher
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. pit — in a race
  11. mate — a partner
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. mate — a friend
  15. lie — to recline
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mate — to breed
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. press — newspapers
  20. row — a line
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. press — to push
  23. row — to paddle
  24. racket — for tennis

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