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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. shower — to wash
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. press — a publisher
  6. kid — to tease
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. press — newspapers
  12. kid — child
  13. chair — a leader
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. shower — rain
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. press — to push
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. foot — a measure
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. temple — side of the head

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