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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 120 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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  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. bat — the animal
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. last — finally
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. mate — a partner
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mate — to breed
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. wind — moving air
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pass — a permit
  13. last — final
  14. mate — a friend
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. last — to go on
  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