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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. charge — a price
  5. press — to push
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. press — newspapers
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. charge — electricity
  10. march — the month
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. charge — in control
  13. chest — a box
  14. march — music
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. wax — to grow
  19. march — the month
  20. press — a publisher
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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