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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: row · temple · bowl · rest · current · press · kick · spell

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. press — a publisher
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. press — to push
  9. row — to paddle
  10. press — newspapers
  11. kick — in football
  12. rest — what's left
  13. spell — letters
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — of water
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. row — a line
  18. rest — what's left
  19. current — electric
  20. rest — a break
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. temple — a place of worship

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