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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  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 — side of the head
  2. track — a song
  3. suit — in cards
  4. press — to push
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. suit — to fit
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. track — a path
  9. pound — a weight
  10. track — to keep track
  11. suit — clothes
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bass — the fish
  16. press — newspapers
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. land — a country
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bass — low music
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. land — to come down
  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