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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. ground — a position
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. shower — rain
  7. press — a publisher
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. press — newspapers
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. date — the fruit
  17. press — to push
  18. ground — crushed
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. ground — the earth
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bowl — a dish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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