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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. press — a publisher
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. cold — not warm
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. track — to keep track
  7. content — happy
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. press — newspapers
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. content — the amount
  13. cold — an illness
  14. track — a song
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — a group
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. club — for dancing
  24. press — to push

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