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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. chest — of your body
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. rash — a series
  6. file — a document
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. rash — hasty
  9. last — final
  10. present — the time now
  11. file — a tool
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. hand — in cards
  14. present — there
  15. chest — a box
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. present — a gift
  19. pass — a permit
  20. last — to go on
  21. hand — help
  22. file — a line of people
  23. last — finally
  24. chest — of your body

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