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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — newspapers
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. present — a gift
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. present — there
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. press — to push
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. present — the time now

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