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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. sharp — clever
  5. staff — a stick
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rest — what's left
  8. staff — employees
  9. wound — an injury
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. court — for sport
  12. pop — music
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. court — of law
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. rest — what's left
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. wound — an injury
  20. staff — employees
  21. court — of a king
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — to visit
  24. rest — a break

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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