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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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 — part of the body
  3. court — for sport
  4. current — of water
  5. suit — to fit
  6. press — a publisher
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. current — happening now
  11. foot — a measure
  12. court — of a king
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. court — of law
  16. press — newspapers
  17. suit — clothes
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — a short time
  20. suit — in cards
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. spell — letters
  23. press — to push
  24. current — electric

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