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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. file — a line of people
  4. club — for dancing
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. fall — the season
  7. file — a tool
  8. court — of law
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. court — of a king
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. club — a group
  13. club — for golf
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mark — a trace
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. fall — to drop
  18. press — newspapers
  19. fall — to drop
  20. court — for sport
  21. file — a document
  22. press — to push
  23. mark — a grade
  24. date — the fruit

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