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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. press — to push
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bore — to tire
  5. wound — an injury
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. cold — not warm
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. cold — an illness
  12. root — of a plant
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. wound — an injury
  17. root — of a word
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. date — the fruit
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. root — the cause
  23. bore — to drill
  24. press — a publisher

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