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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. present — the time now
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. lean — thin
  6. present — a gift
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pass — a permit
  10. chest — of your body
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. present — there
  16. chest — of your body
  17. lean — to bend
  18. last — finally
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. chest — a box
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. mine — for digging
  24. pit — a hole

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