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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. kick — in football
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. press — to push
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. squash — to crush
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. squash — the sport
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. land — ground
  17. land — to come down
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bat — the animal
  22. land — a country
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — a horse colour

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