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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  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. pass — to succeed
  2. prune — to trim
  3. chest — a box
  4. date — the fruit
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. march — the month
  8. chest — of your body
  9. fine — high quality
  10. pass — a permit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. march — music
  13. fine — all right
  14. march — the month
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. prune — to trim
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. chest — of your body
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. nail — on a finger
  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