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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. root — of a plant
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. shower — rain
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. cue — for pool
  8. race — a contest
  9. root — the cause
  10. press — to push
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. shower — to wash
  13. root — of a word
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. race — humankind
  16. mark — a grade
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. race — the arms race
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — newspapers
  21. mark — a trace
  22. rash — a series
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cue — a hint

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