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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. press — newspapers
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — in golf
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. pop — to visit
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. mark — a grade
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pop — music
  18. ball — a dance
  19. mark — a trace
  20. last — final
  21. press — to push
  22. last — finally
  23. swing — music
  24. pop — soda

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