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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. ball — a dance
  5. last — to go on
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. last — final
  8. lean — to bend
  9. pound — a weight
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. last — finally
  12. bass — the fish
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. bass — low music
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bass — the instrument

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