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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. lie — to recline
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. ground — the earth
  5. cue — a hint
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. press — to push
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. race — the arms race
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — happy
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. cue — a signal
  17. press — newspapers
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — a position
  21. press — a publisher
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — a contest
  24. cue — for pool

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