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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. pop — to visit
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pop — music
  5. press — a publisher
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — the cause
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. fall — the season
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. shower — rain
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. shower — to wash
  16. mine — for digging
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. root — of a word
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pop — soda
  21. press — newspapers
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. deal — to handle

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