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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. squash — the sport
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. squash — to crush
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. press — to push
  13. bound — certain
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bound — obliged
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bound — tied together
  21. press — a publisher
  22. wax — to grow
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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