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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. can — a tin
  3. row — a line
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — crushed
  6. staff — employees
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. spring — the season
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. ground — the earth
  12. can — a tin
  13. spring — of water
  14. row — to paddle
  15. staff — a stick
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. press — a publisher
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. spring — a coil
  20. press — to push
  21. press — newspapers
  22. staff — employees
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bat — for baseball

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