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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. pound — a weight
  9. mark — a grade
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. rush — hurry
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pit — in a race
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. bat — the animal

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