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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. press — a publisher
  7. game — wild animals
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. bulb — for light
  10. hand — help
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bulb — for light
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. cold — an illness
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — the tool
  18. press — newspapers
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. stand — to bear
  23. cold — not warm
  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