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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.

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: press · game · bay · clip · chip · temple · pop · march

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. pop — soda
  8. march — music
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. game — a match
  11. clip — a video
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. march — the month
  15. clip — for paper
  16. pop — music
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. press — newspapers
  19. march — the month
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chip — to eat
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. clip — to cut

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