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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: kid · staff · temple · press · club · hand · root · game

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. game — a match
  3. kid — to tease
  4. root — of a word
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. hand — help
  7. staff — a stick
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. staff — employees
  10. kid — child
  11. press — to push
  12. club — a group
  13. press — a publisher
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. root — the cause
  16. press — newspapers
  17. club — for dancing
  18. root — of a plant
  19. hand — in cards
  20. staff — employees
  21. club — for golf
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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