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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: temple · stem · band · chest · pass · staff · rule · pitch

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a music group
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. rule — government
  7. pitch — completely
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. staff — a stick
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. rule — a law
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. chest — a box
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. staff — employees
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. pass — a permit
  23. staff — employees
  24. rule — to rule out

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