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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.

Make a worksheet

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: fan · temple · mug · rest · game · object · cold · press

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. press — to push
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — an illness
  6. object — a thing
  7. rest — a break
  8. cold — not warm
  9. object — an aim
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. rest — what's left
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — a cup
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. object — to protest
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. press — newspapers
  21. mug — to rob
  22. rest — what's left
  23. press — a publisher
  24. game — wild animals

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