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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: press · face · fork · club · date · temple · cold · bowl

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. club — a group
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. club — for golf
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. face — to point toward
  8. press — to push
  9. press — newspapers
  10. cold — an illness
  11. club — for dancing
  12. press — a publisher
  13. fork — in a road
  14. date — the fruit
  15. face — to confront
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cold — not warm
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. face — part 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