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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: wound · roll · pass · court · patient · temple · clip · rest

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rest — what's left
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. court — of law
  6. roll — a list
  7. court — for sport
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. court — of a king
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. wound — an injury
  13. roll — a cake
  14. clip — a video
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rest — a break
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. clip — for paper
  20. wound — an injury
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pass — a permit

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