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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. last — to go on
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. present — a gift
  6. bank — for money
  7. mug — a face
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — a cake
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. chest — a box
  13. bank — for money
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. mug — to rob
  16. present — there
  17. mug — a cup
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bank — of a river
  20. pass — a permit
  21. last — final
  22. present — the time now
  23. last — finally
  24. rush — to hurry

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