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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. date — the fruit
  5. bound — tied together
  6. track — a path
  7. press — to push
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bound — obliged
  10. press — a publisher
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. track — a song
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. track — to keep track
  18. net — after costs
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bound — certain
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. stand — to bear
  24. lean — thin

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