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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: foot · rule · temple · pitch · last · press · date · staff

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. press — a publisher
  3. date — the fruit
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. staff — a stick
  6. last — final
  7. staff — employees
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. last — to go on
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. rule — a law
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. foot — a measure
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — to push
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. last — finally
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. staff — employees

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