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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. press — a publisher
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mug — to rob
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. scale — size or range
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. mug — a face
  11. last — final
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. lean — to bend
  14. degree — from a university
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wound — an injury
  17. degree — temperature
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mug — a cup
  20. press — to push
  21. degree — an amount
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. scale — in music

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