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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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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: bear · press · hide · scale · mug · temple · game · hand

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — wild animals
  6. mug — a cup
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. bear — the animal
  10. game — a match
  11. mug — a face
  12. scale — size or range
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mug — to rob
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. scale — in music
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hand — help
  22. press — a publisher
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. scale — for weighing

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