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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. press — a publisher
  3. file — a line of people
  4. season — in sport
  5. staff — a stick
  6. dip — to sink
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. club — a group
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. staff — employees
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. season — of the year
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. press — newspapers
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. press — to push
  20. file — a document
  21. club — for golf
  22. file — a tool
  23. staff — employees
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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