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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. My father caught me by 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. land — ground
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. game — a match
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. press — to push
  7. rock — music
  8. press — a publisher
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. drill — army training
  11. land — a country
  12. press — newspapers
  13. rock — a stone
  14. land — to come down
  15. bank — for money
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bank — for money
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bank — of a river
  20. game — wild animals
  21. drill — the tool
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. arm — part of the body
  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