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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: chest · last · pass · pop · bowl · spell · temple · bore

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bore — to drill
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pass — a permit
  5. last — finally
  6. pop — soda
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. spell — a short time
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pop — music
  14. last — final
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. spell — magic
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. chest — of your body
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. spell — letters
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — a dish

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