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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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. press — to push
  4. current — of water
  5. rest — what's left
  6. press — a publisher
  7. pound — a weight
  8. rest — what's left
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. current — happening now
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. object — to protest
  13. current — electric
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. press — newspapers
  17. court — of law
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. object — an aim
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. rest — a break
  24. object — a thing

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