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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. chest — a box
  3. bank — for money
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. deal — to handle
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bank — for money
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bank — of a river
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pass — a permit
  20. chest — of your body
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — a trace
  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