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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. tear — from crying
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. tear — to rip
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. squash — to crush
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — to push
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. shower — rain
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. chair — a leader
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. mark — a trace
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. press — newspapers
  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