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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. sharp — clever
  5. race — a contest
  6. lean — thin
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. press — a publisher
  10. race — the arms race
  11. pound — a weight
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. press — newspapers
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. race — humankind
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. lean — to bend

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