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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. staff — employees
  3. swing — to play on
  4. press — a publisher
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. press — to push
  7. press — newspapers
  8. court — for sport
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. staff — a stick
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. court — of law
  13. bore — to tire
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. swing — music
  17. march — the month
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bore — to drill
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. court — of a king
  23. staff — employees
  24. march — music

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