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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: field · last · temple · cold · racket · pass · present · wave

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. present — a gift
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. last — final
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — there
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. cold — not warm
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. last — to go on
  20. cold — an illness
  21. pass — a permit
  22. field — a subject
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pass — to succeed

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