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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: season · temple · pass · dip · pound · suit · bowl · kid

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. suit — clothes
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pass — a permit
  9. suit — in cards
  10. dip — to sink
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. suit — to fit
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. season — of the year
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. kid — child
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. kid — to tease
  19. pound — a weight
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. pass — to spend time

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