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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: pass · bear · present · chest · cue · pound · temple · clip

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. cue — a hint
  11. present — a gift
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. chest — of your body
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. clip — a video
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a signal
  18. chest — a box
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — for paper
  22. chest — of your body
  23. present — there
  24. present — the time now

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