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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. drill — a practice
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. chest — of your body
  9. drill — army training
  10. bound — certain
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. bound — tied together
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. dip — to sink
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bound — obliged
  23. drill — the tool
  24. rest — what's left

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