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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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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: pit · perch · pitcher · press · bay · temple · jam · patient

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. pit — in a race
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. press — to push
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. perch — the fish
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. jam — in traffic

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