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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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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 · pop · pit · rest · object · temple · last · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. pit — in a race
  6. object — to protest
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pop — to visit
  12. last — final
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pop — music
  15. last — to go on
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. last — finally
  18. object — a thing
  19. pop — soda
  20. object — an aim
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pass — to succeed

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