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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 120 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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bank — for money
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. court — for sport
  7. rush — hurry
  8. court — of law
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bank — for money
  12. pass — a permit
  13. chest — a box
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. chest — of your body
  22. court — of a king
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. pass — to succeed

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