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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. pop — music
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rush — hurry
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. ground — crushed
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. press — to push
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pop — soda
  12. season — in sport
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. ground — the earth
  15. press — a publisher
  16. pit — a hole
  17. wax — to grow
  18. season — of the year
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. press — newspapers
  23. pit — in a race
  24. ground — a position

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