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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bound — tied together
  3. cold — an illness
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. cold — not warm
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. current — electric
  10. bound — certain
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. roll — a list
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bound — obliged
  17. current — of water
  18. roll — a cake
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. current — happening now
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. press — to push
  24. press — newspapers

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