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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pass · tear · temple · clip · race · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. tear — from crying
  3. clip — to cut
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. tear — from crying
  6. clip — for paper
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. race — humankind
  10. pass — a permit
  11. tear — to rip
  12. race — the arms race
  13. fine — high quality
  14. race — a contest
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. clip — a video
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship

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