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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. ground — the earth
  4. spring — of water
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. ground — crushed
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. spring — the season
  11. ground — a position
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. press — a publisher
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. pass — a permit
  17. spring — a coil
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — in a tire

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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