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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. scale — size or range
  5. clip — a video
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. clip — for paper
  9. cap — a hat
  10. scale — in music
  11. press — to push
  12. bear — the animal
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. current — of water
  15. press — newspapers
  16. cap — of ice
  17. date — the fruit
  18. bear — the animal
  19. press — a publisher
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. cap — a lid
  22. current — happening now
  23. current — electric
  24. clip — to cut

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