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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. date — the fruit
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pit — in a race
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bore — to tire
  15. pass — a permit
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to drill
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. pit — a hole
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — hurry
  24. date — on the calendar

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