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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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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: fork · cap · chest · temple · row · press · bore · face

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. chest — a box
  7. face — part of the head
  8. cap — of ice
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. row — to paddle
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. press — newspapers
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — to drill
  19. row — a line
  20. press — a publisher
  21. fork — in a road
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — a lid
  24. bore — gave birth

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