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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 120 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. mark — a trace
  9. press — a publisher
  10. wound — an injury
  11. press — newspapers
  12. wake — a trail
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. press — to push
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wind — moving air
  18. saw — the tool
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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