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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. chest — of your body
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. lie — to recline
  5. shower — rain
  6. field — farmland
  7. can — to be able to
  8. land — to come down
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. press — to push
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. chest — a box
  14. can — a tin
  15. shower — to wash
  16. field — for sport
  17. land — a country
  18. press — a publisher
  19. field — a subject
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. land — ground
  22. can — a tin
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. chest — of your body

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