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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. net — after costs
  6. press — to push
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. net — for catching
  10. press — newspapers
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bat — the animal
  13. cue — for pool
  14. net — in sport
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. current — happening now
  17. fall — the season
  18. current — of water
  19. vault — a safe
  20. current — electric
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — a signal
  24. fall — to drop

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