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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 120 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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. press — to push
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. fine — all right
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mine — for digging
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. press — newspapers
  10. spell — a short time
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. vault — a safe
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — high quality
  19. spell — magic
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. spell — letters
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — to shout

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