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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. net — in sport
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — to come from
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. court — of law
  12. key — for a lock
  13. press — a publisher
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. press — newspapers
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — for sport
  18. net — for catching
  19. press — to push
  20. key — in music
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. chair — a leader
  23. net — after costs
  24. key — the most important part

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