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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. club — for golf
  8. staff — employees
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. press — newspapers
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — certain
  14. press — to push
  15. present — a gift
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. press — a publisher
  19. present — the time now
  20. club — a group
  21. bound — tied together
  22. present — there
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. club — for dancing

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