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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — hurry
  3. snap — to click
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. press — newspapers
  11. land — a country
  12. press — to push
  13. file — a document
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. file — a tool
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. press — a publisher
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. land — to come down
  23. file — a line of people
  24. land — ground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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