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

Word bank: temple · last · perch · content · press · kick · club · ruler

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. kick — in football
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. last — to go on
  9. content — happy
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. club — for dancing
  12. press — a publisher
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — a group
  20. press — newspapers
  21. perch — the fish
  22. press — to push
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. content — videos and posts

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