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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. clip — for paper
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. face — to point toward
  11. ground — the earth
  12. clip — to cut
  13. face — to confront
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. chest — of your body
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. ground — a position
  21. clip — a video
  22. chest — a box
  23. ground — crushed
  24. pass — a permit

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