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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bass — the fish
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bass — low music
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. march — music
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. craft — a skill
  13. pop — music
  14. craft — boats
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. court — for sport
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pop — soda
  20. march — the month
  21. court — of law
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. march — the month
  24. court — of a king

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