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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. land — ground
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. fine — high quality
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — music
  7. spring — the season
  8. press — to push
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. land — a country
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — newspapers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. swing — to play on
  18. land — to come down
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. fine — all right

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