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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. stock — shares
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. press — a publisher
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. toast — bread
  9. kid — child
  10. stock — goods
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. present — the time now
  14. press — newspapers
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. board — to get on
  18. present — a gift
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. board — a committee
  21. kid — to tease
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. present — there
  24. press — to push

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