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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. snap — to click
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. press — newspapers
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. press — a publisher
  9. saw — the tool
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — crushed
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. ground — the earth
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. press — to push
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. saw — the tool
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. racket — a loud noise

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