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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 120 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — government
  5. pitch — completely
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to bend
  9. press — newspapers
  10. tube — the underground
  11. last — finally
  12. row — to paddle
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. last — to go on
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. press — to push
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. tube — a container
  22. press — a publisher
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. last — final

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