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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. fine — all right
  6. press — to push
  7. suit — in cards
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. fine — high quality
  12. suit — clothes
  13. ball — a dance
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — a publisher
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. ball — a great time
  21. suit — to fit
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. land — ground

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