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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. fall — to drop
  6. chest — of your body
  7. last — finally
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. can — to be able to
  12. last — final
  13. roll — a cake
  14. can — a tin
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. roll — a list
  18. last — to go on
  19. cell — a phone
  20. can — a tin
  21. cell — in biology
  22. chest — a box
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bass — low music

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