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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. season — of the year
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. sharp — clever
  10. season — in sport
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. file — a tool
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. pit — a hole
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. file — a document
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. club — a group
  24. temple — a place of worship

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