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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. cold — an illness
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. press — newspapers
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pass — a permit
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. press — to push
  13. tube — a container
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — for digging
  18. press — a publisher
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — a weight
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pass — to succeed

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