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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. swing — music
  4. mate — a friend
  5. net — for catching
  6. mate — to breed
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. swing — in golf
  9. pass — a permit
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. mate — a partner
  13. file — a line of people
  14. swing — to play on
  15. track — to keep track
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. file — a document
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. track — a path
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. track — a song
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. file — a tool

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