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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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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: kid · pass · temple · wake · field · chest · key · rash

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. chest — a box
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — hasty
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — a subject
  10. key — for a lock
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. key — in music
  13. chest — of your body
  14. kid — child
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. wake — a trail
  18. key — the most important part
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. field — for sport
  23. pass — a permit
  24. temple — a place of worship

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