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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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Word bank
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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: temple · ball · fan · patient · lie · pass · last · mine

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a dance
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. lie — to recline
  11. pass — a permit
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. last — to go on
  18. mine — for digging
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. last — finally
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. lie — an untruth

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