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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: temple · mouse · cold · squash · toast · mate · field · press

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. field — a subject
  4. press — newspapers
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. press — to push
  10. cold — an illness
  11. toast — bread
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. mate — to breed
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. mate — a friend
  16. press — a publisher
  17. mate — a partner
  18. field — for sport
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. squash — to crush
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — not warm
  23. field — farmland
  24. squash — the vegetable

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