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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 trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. scale — size or range
  5. press — newspapers
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rock — music
  10. scale — in music
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. chest — of your body
  14. press — a publisher
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. chest — a box
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. date — the fruit
  23. press — to push
  24. rock — a stone

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