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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — an illness
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. field — farmland
  5. cold — not warm
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. object — an aim
  9. press — to push
  10. press — newspapers
  11. object — a thing
  12. field — a subject
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. object — to protest
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. field — for sport
  17. dip — to sink
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. season — of the year
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. press — a publisher
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. season — in sport

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