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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. press — to push
  3. toast — bread
  4. march — the month
  5. lie — to recline
  6. net — for catching
  7. press — a publisher
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. kid — to tease
  10. press — newspapers
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. kid — child
  18. march — the month
  19. wind — moving air
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. lie — an untruth

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