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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. present — a gift
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. present — there
  5. present — the time now
  6. press — newspapers
  7. stand — to bear
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. sharp — clever
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. press — to push
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. press — a publisher
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. bat — the animal

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