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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. press — a publisher
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mark — a trace
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. dip — to sink
  15. press — to push
  16. capital — money
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. press — newspapers
  24. capital — a city

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