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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. chest — a box
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bulb — for light
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. march — the month
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wake — a trail
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — to push
  18. bulb — for light
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. march — music
  21. rush — hurry
  22. press — a publisher
  23. plane — a tool
  24. march — the month

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