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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.

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: cap · temple · straw · land · press · bat · suit · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. suit — clothes
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. suit — to fit
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. game — a match
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bat — the animal
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. land — a country
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. suit — in cards
  15. land — to come down
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cap — a hat
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. land — ground
  20. press — to push
  21. game — wild animals
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — newspapers
  24. cap — of ice

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