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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · club · racket · wake · chest · temple · press · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. chest — of your body
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in biology
  5. press — a publisher
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. press — to push
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. club — for dancing
  15. last — final
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. club — for golf
  18. press — newspapers
  19. club — a group
  20. chest — a box
  21. last — finally
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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