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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bat — the animal
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. vault — a safe
  12. bore — to tire
  13. spring — the season
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — to push
  16. spring — of water
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. press — newspapers

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