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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pop — soda
  3. mine — for digging
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. can — a tin
  9. wake — a trail
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pop — to visit
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. chair — a leader
  18. can — to be able to
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. pop — music
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. temple — side of the head

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