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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. last — final
  3. firm — steady
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. rest — what's left
  6. present — the time now
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pass — a permit
  9. swing — in golf
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. last — finally
  12. present — a gift
  13. last — to go on
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. present — there
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — completely
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. firm — decided
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. swing — music
  24. firm — a company

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