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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. plane — a tool
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pop — to visit
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pass — a permit
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. tube — a container
  22. rest — a break
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. tube — the underground

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