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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. date — the fruit
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. face — to point toward
  9. race — humankind
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. face — part of the head
  15. pitch — completely
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. face — to confront
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. race — the arms race
  20. file — a tool
  21. race — a contest
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bass — the fish
  24. file — a document

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