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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. press — a publisher
  3. staff — a stick
  4. mate — a friend
  5. staff — employees
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — an amount
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. clip — a video
  10. mate — to breed
  11. cue — a signal
  12. staff — employees
  13. fork — in a road
  14. clip — to cut
  15. degree — temperature
  16. press — to push
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a hint
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. clip — for paper
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. mate — a partner
  23. press — newspapers
  24. temple — a place of worship

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