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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. hand — help
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. hand — in cards
  7. rule — a law
  8. season — in sport
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. bass — the fish
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. ball — a great time
  14. season — of the year
  15. sharp — clever
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. rule — government
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. ball — a dance
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. sharp — with an edge

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