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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. fall — to drop
  3. press — newspapers
  4. press — to push
  5. fall — to drop
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bound — certain
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bound — obliged
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — a partner
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. fall — the season
  24. mine — an explosive

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