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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. face — to confront
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. stand — to bear
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. last — final
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. press — newspapers
  13. last — finally
  14. face — to point toward
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. press — a publisher
  17. pound — a weight
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. last — to go on
  20. face — part of the head
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bore — to tire
  23. press — to push
  24. bore — to drill

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