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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. press — to push
  14. stock — goods
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. stock — shares
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. press — a publisher
  23. dip — to sink
  24. press — newspapers

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