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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. last — final
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. face — part of the head
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. press — a publisher
  8. face — to point toward
  9. last — to go on
  10. key — the most important part
  11. press — newspapers
  12. last — finally
  13. key — for a lock
  14. face — to confront
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. key — in music
  18. press — to push

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