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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. file — a tool
  3. tube — a container
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — to bend
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. lean — thin
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. file — a document
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. file — a line of people
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bulb — for light
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. tube — the underground

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