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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. can — a tin
  4. band — a ring
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. can — a tin
  14. band — a music group
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pass — a permit
  17. can — to be able to
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. roll — a list
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. pitch — completely
  24. roll — a cake

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