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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. stem — to come from
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pass — a permit
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. saw — the tool
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. shower — to wash
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. shower — rain
  18. file — a document
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a tool
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. temple — side of the head

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