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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · mate · lie · pop · coach · track · press · pitcher

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. track — to keep track
  5. mate — a partner
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. track — a song
  10. lie — to recline
  11. mate — to breed
  12. track — a path
  13. press — to push
  14. pop — soda
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mine — for digging
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. press — newspapers

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