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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. pass — a permit
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mine — for digging
  6. chest — a box
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. face — part of the head
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. face — to point toward
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. face — to confront
  21. chest — of your body
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pass — to succeed

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