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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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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. file — a document
  4. spell — letters
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. can — a tin
  8. spell — magic
  9. degree — an amount
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. file — a tool
  14. degree — temperature
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. spell — a short time
  17. degree — from a university
  18. pass — a permit
  19. mine — for digging
  20. file — a line of people
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. can — to be able to
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. wave — with your hand

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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