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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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Word bank
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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: ball · rash · pass · bat · chest · temple · mate · toast

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rash — a series
  5. pass — a permit
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. ball — a dance
  9. toast — bread
  10. mate — a partner
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. mate — to breed
  17. rash — hasty
  18. ball — a great time
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. chest — a box
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. mate — a friend
  24. temple — a place of worship

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