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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: press · rock · temple · pitcher · calf · net · last · pound

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. net — after costs
  5. rock — a stone
  6. last — to go on
  7. net — for catching
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. last — finally
  12. press — a publisher
  13. rock — music
  14. net — in sport
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — a weight
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. last — final
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pound — to hit hard

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