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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. last — final
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. pitch — completely
  6. chest — a box
  7. last — to go on
  8. pop — soda
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pass — a permit
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pop — music
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. last — finally
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pop — to visit
  23. chest — of your body
  24. fall — the season

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