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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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. craft — a skill
  4. firm — a company
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. court — of a king
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. firm — decided
  10. drill — a practice
  11. firm — steady
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. drill — army training
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. drill — the tool
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of law
  20. craft — boats
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pass — a permit

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