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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. saw — the tool
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. wound — an injury
  5. track — a song
  6. saw — the tool
  7. march — music
  8. pass — a permit
  9. charge — electricity
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. march — the month
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. sharp — clever
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. charge — a price
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a path
  22. wound — an injury
  23. charge — in control
  24. march — the month

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