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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. swing — in golf
  5. press — newspapers
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mark — a grade
  8. swing — to play on
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. mark — a trace
  11. press — a publisher
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. press — to push
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. swing — 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