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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bound — certain
  6. press — a publisher
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. press — to push
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pass — a permit
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bat — the animal
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. bound — tied together
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. press — newspapers

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