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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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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. press — newspapers
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. last — final
  8. dip — to sink
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. press — to push
  13. stem — to come from
  14. press — a publisher
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. last — finally

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