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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pop — music
  4. press — newspapers
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. saw — the tool
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. ground — a position
  9. press — to push
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wind — moving air
  13. press — a publisher
  14. pop — to visit
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. pop — soda
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. pass — a permit
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — crushed

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