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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. press — newspapers
  3. swing — in golf
  4. rule — a law
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — happy
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. press — a publisher
  10. swing — music
  11. swing — to play on
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. kick — in football
  14. press — to push
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. content — the amount
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. rule — government
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. pound — a weight
  23. snap — to click
  24. pound — to hit hard

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