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

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. shower — to wash
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. scale — size or range
  6. ball — a dance
  7. face — to confront
  8. field — for sport
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bass — low music
  11. field — a subject
  12. shower — rain
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. plane — a tool
  15. field — farmland
  16. face — part of the head
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. ball — a great time
  20. scale — in music
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bass — the fish
  23. ball — a round shape
  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