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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. suit — to fit
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. shower — to wash
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. chest — of your body
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. plane — a tool
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. suit — clothes
  12. chest — a box
  13. mine — for digging
  14. shower — rain
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. suit — in cards
  18. pass — a permit
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. chest — of your body

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