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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. key — the most important part
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. squash — to crush
  8. press — a publisher
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. tube — a container
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. row — to paddle
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. branch — a division
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. row — a line
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. squash — the sport
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. tube — the underground
  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