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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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Word bank
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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. club — for golf
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. game — wild animals
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. club — for dancing
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. game — a match
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bass — the fish
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. club — a group
  22. bass — low music
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. rush — hurry

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