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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 120 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. drill — the tool
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. press — a publisher
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. suit — clothes
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. suit — in cards
  9. suit — to fit
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. press — newspapers
  13. swing — music
  14. drill — a practice
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. swing — to play on
  20. prune — to trim
  21. foot — a measure
  22. swing — in golf
  23. press — to push
  24. drill — army training

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