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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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. press — to push
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pop — soda
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pop — music
  11. clip — a video
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. ground — crushed
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. clip — for paper
  16. pop — to visit
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. ground — a position
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bore — to tire

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