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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. present — the time now
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a line of people
  8. present — there
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. present — a gift
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pass — a permit
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. file — a tool
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. 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