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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: ground · temple · cell · press · mug · chair · mine · land

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  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. ground — a position
  2. ground — the earth
  3. land — a country
  4. cell — in biology
  5. land — to come down
  6. mine — for digging
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. press — a publisher
  12. chair — a leader
  13. mug — to rob
  14. ground — crushed
  15. press — newspapers
  16. mug — a cup
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. cell — a phone
  19. press — to push
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mug — a face
  23. land — ground
  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