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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 · field · pass · board · snap · pop · cold · shower

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. cold — an illness
  5. snap — to click
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. board — to get on
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. pop — music
  10. board — a committee
  11. shower — to wash
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. field — for sport
  14. cold — not warm
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. pop — soda
  18. field — a subject
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pass — a permit
  21. field — farmland
  22. shower — rain
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. cold — the Cold War

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