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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · tear · pop · shower · court · temple · game · file

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. tear — from crying
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pop — soda
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. court — of law
  9. court — of a king
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. file — a tool
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — rain
  16. pop — to visit
  17. tear — from crying
  18. court — for sport
  19. tear — to rip
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — a permit
  22. file — a document
  23. pop — music
  24. file — a line of people

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