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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bass — the fish
  4. roll — a list
  5. net — in sport
  6. roll — a cake
  7. charge — in control
  8. field — farmland
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. charge — a price
  11. field — for sport
  12. kid — child
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — after costs
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. field — a subject
  17. chest — of your body
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. bass — low music
  20. charge — electricity
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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