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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. chest — of your body
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. scale — size or range
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. chest — of your body
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bass — low music
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. ball — a dance
  16. date — the fruit
  17. tube — a container
  18. wake — a trail
  19. chest — a box
  20. bass — the fish
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. tube — in a tire

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