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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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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: patient · bay · cabinet · tear · coach · chest · pit · key

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pit — in a race
  4. chest — of your body
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. key — the most important part
  7. chest — of your body
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. chest — a box
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. key — in music
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. key — for a lock
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. tear — from crying

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