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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bore — to drill
  5. press — a publisher
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a list
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. press — to push
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. pit — in a race
  17. roll — a cake
  18. bore — to tire
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. press — newspapers
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bore — gave birth

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