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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. foot — a measure
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — of water
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. press — to push
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. roll — a list
  12. wind — moving air
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. current — electric
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. wind — moving air
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. press — a publisher
  23. roll — a cake
  24. press — newspapers

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