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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 120 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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. press — newspapers
  3. season — of the year
  4. cell — in biology
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. present — the time now
  9. squash — to crush
  10. present — a gift
  11. cell — a phone
  12. hand — help
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. hand — in cards
  15. season — in sport
  16. squash — the sport
  17. press — to push
  18. present — there
  19. tear — to rip
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. press — a publisher
  24. tear — from crying

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