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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  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. temple — a place of worship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. club — for dancing
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. press — newspapers
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. club — for golf
  14. bank — for money
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bank — of a river
  18. press — to push
  19. bank — for money
  20. club — a group
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. mouse — for a computer
  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