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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. key — for a lock
  4. season — of the year
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. press — newspapers
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. game — a match
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — a skill
  11. press — to push
  12. key — in music
  13. key — the most important part
  14. current — of water
  15. wind — moving air
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. wind — moving air
  18. current — happening now
  19. craft — boats
  20. game — wild animals
  21. season — in sport
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. current — electric

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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