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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. pass — a permit
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wound — an injury
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. wound — an injury
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. net — after costs
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wind — moving air
  15. net — for catching
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. tube — the underground
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. tube — a container
  22. net — in sport
  23. wind — moving air
  24. coach — a trainer

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