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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. court — of a king
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. press — a publisher
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. lie — to recline
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bass — low music
  14. press — newspapers
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. court — for sport
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. press — to push
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. court — of law

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