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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. dip — to sink
  4. sharp — clever
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — happy
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. hand — help
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wind — moving air
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. bass — low music
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. wind — moving air
  24. hand — in cards

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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