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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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Word bank
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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 trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. key — for a lock
  6. wind — moving air
  7. press — newspapers
  8. key — in music
  9. press — a publisher
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. field — farmland
  12. wind — moving air
  13. field — a subject
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. spell — a short time
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — letters
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. field — for sport
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. key — the most important part
  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