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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. net — in sport
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. net — after costs
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rush — hurry
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. firm — decided
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — to push
  15. tear — to rip
  16. firm — steady
  17. firm — a company
  18. tear — from crying
  19. staff — employees
  20. tear — from crying
  21. staff — a stick
  22. press — newspapers
  23. staff — employees
  24. net — for catching

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