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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bark — to shout
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. last — to go on
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. press — newspapers
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. last — finally
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fine — all right
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — for pool
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fine — high quality
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. press — a publisher
  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