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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. content — the amount
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. shower — rain
  10. content — happy
  11. press — newspapers
  12. shower — to wash
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. present — a gift
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — for money
  18. press — to push
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. dip — to sink
  21. present — there
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. present — the time now
  24. press — a publisher

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