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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. game — wild animals
  3. shower — to wash
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — for dancing
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. shower — rain
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. snap — to click
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. club — a group
  23. game — a match
  24. temple — side of the head

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