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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. face — to confront
  6. can — a tin
  7. pass — a permit
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. can — to be able to
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. face — to point toward
  13. last — final
  14. mug — a cup
  15. face — part of the head
  16. game — a match
  17. last — to go on
  18. mug — to rob
  19. race — a contest
  20. mug — a face
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — the arms race
  23. can — a tin
  24. last — finally

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