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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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 — a permit
  3. wake — a trail
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pop — soda
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — an illness
  9. wind — moving air
  10. kick — in football
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pop — music
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. pop — to visit
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. cold — not warm
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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