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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bound — obliged
  5. drill — army training
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a word
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bound — certain
  17. root — of a plant
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bound — tied together
  21. press — to push
  22. fine — high quality
  23. press — newspapers
  24. drill — the tool

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