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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. press — a publisher
  3. chair — a leader
  4. foot — a measure
  5. press — to push
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. wound — an injury
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pass — a permit
  16. wound — an injury
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. pit — in a race
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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