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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. rush — hurry
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. snap — to click
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — thin
  11. season — of the year
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. press — to push
  15. season — in sport
  16. press — newspapers
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. perch — the fish
  22. lean — to bend
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. press — a publisher

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