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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 120 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: pass · straw · temple · march · sharp · fan · fall · rash

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. fall — the season
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. fall — to drop
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — a permit
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. rash — a series
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. march — the month
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. fall — to drop
  18. march — the month
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. march — music
  21. rash — hasty
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. sharp — clever
  24. fan — a supporter

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