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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 120 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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. root — of a word
  3. press — newspapers
  4. cell — a phone
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. press — a publisher
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. fall — the season
  10. root — of a plant
  11. field — for sport
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. present — the time now
  14. cell — in biology
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. fall — to drop
  18. field — farmland
  19. press — to push
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — there
  23. field — a subject
  24. root — the cause

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