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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. scale — size or range
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. scale — in music
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. row — a line
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bass — low music
  21. rash — a series
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. row — to paddle
  24. safe — out of danger

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