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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. board — a committee
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. last — to go on
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. board — to get on
  8. face — to confront
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. prune — to trim
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. face — to point toward
  14. track — a path
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. last — finally
  18. last — final
  19. rush — hurry
  20. track — a song
  21. track — to keep track
  22. pass — a permit
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. face — part 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