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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. game — a match
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — a measure
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pop — to visit
  11. game — wild animals
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — to shout
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pass — a permit
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. pop — music
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pop — soda

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