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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: cell · press · cabinet · march · bore · temple · bat · firm

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  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. cell — in a prison
  2. press — to push
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — to tire
  9. march — music
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. press — newspapers
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. firm — steady
  16. bat — the animal
  17. firm — decided
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. press — a publisher
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. firm — a company
  23. bore — gave birth
  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