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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. net — in sport
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pit — in a race
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. last — final
  11. last — to go on
  12. file — a tool
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pit — a hole
  17. file — a document
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — the fish
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. last — finally
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — for catching
  24. temple — side of the head

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