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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 120 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: lie · game · degree · patient · press · mate · pit · key

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. press — a publisher
  3. degree — temperature
  4. game — a match
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mate — a partner
  7. key — the most important part
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. game — wild animals
  10. press — newspapers
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pit — a hole
  14. degree — from a university
  15. press — to push
  16. lie — to recline
  17. mate — a friend
  18. key — in music
  19. key — for a lock
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. mate — to breed
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pit — in a race
  24. degree — an amount

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