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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: degree · patient · safe · press · pit · bat · hide · mark

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. press — to push
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. press — newspapers
  8. pit — a hole
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. press — a publisher
  12. mark — a trace
  13. degree — temperature
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. degree — an amount
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bat — the animal
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bat — in an idiom

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