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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. cold — an illness
  3. chest — of your body
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wake — a trail
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. date — the fruit
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. press — a publisher
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. press — to push
  22. cold — not warm
  23. chest — a box
  24. fan — to cool the air

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