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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. present — there
  7. file — a line of people
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. present — a gift
  10. file — a document
  11. tear — from crying
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. rush — hurry
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. pass — a permit
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. present — the time now
  18. file — a tool
  19. wake — a trail
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. wake — before a funeral

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