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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. press — newspapers
  3. key — for a lock
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — in sport
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. key — in music
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — a subject
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wake — a trail
  19. key — the most important part
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. field — for sport
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — to push
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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