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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. press — to push
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. press — a publisher
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. deal — to handle
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. saw — the tool
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. wake — a trail
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. saw — the tool
  18. race — humankind
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. race — a contest
  23. press — newspapers
  24. race — the arms race

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