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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fine — all right
  3. last — finally
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. roll — a list
  7. fine — high quality
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. wake — a trail
  10. last — final
  11. last — to go on
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. roll — a cake
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. press — to push
  17. press — newspapers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. press — a publisher
  20. tube — the underground
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. tube — a container
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. roll — on a roll

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