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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. drill — a practice
  3. ground — a position
  4. bound — certain
  5. drill — army training
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. press — to push
  8. roll — a list
  9. press — newspapers
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. pop — to visit
  12. ground — crushed
  13. dip — to sink
  14. drill — the tool
  15. pop — music
  16. ground — the earth
  17. pop — soda
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — obliged
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. roll — a cake
  24. press — a publisher

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