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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: trunk · pass · pitch · temple · bore · rush · rash · fine

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pass — a permit
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. rash — hasty
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rash — a series
  10. bore — to tire
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. fine — all right
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — high quality
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pitch — completely
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bore — to drill
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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