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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. key — for a lock
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. season — of the year
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — to push
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. key — in music
  14. season — in sport
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. key — the most important part
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. press — newspapers
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bound — tied together
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bass — low music
  24. chest — a box

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