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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: press · straw · court · temple · cabinet · file · net · mouse

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. press — a publisher
  4. net — after costs
  5. press — to push
  6. file — a document
  7. court — of a king
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. net — for catching
  13. file — a line of people
  14. court — for sport
  15. press — newspapers
  16. court — of law
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. file — a tool
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. temple — side of the head

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