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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: bore · lie · pit · fan · march · land · coach · press

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bore — to drill
  3. pit — in a race
  4. march — the month
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. press — a publisher
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. press — to push
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. press — newspapers
  18. lie — to recline
  19. land — ground
  20. bore — to tire
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. march — the month
  23. land — to come down
  24. march — music

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