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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 ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. press — a publisher
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — to push
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. sharp — clever
  16. board — to get on
  17. cell — a phone
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. cell — in biology
  23. board — a committee
  24. nail — for a hammer

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