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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.

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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. present — there
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bass — low music
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. present — the time now
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. present — a gift
  20. rash — a series
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bass — the fish
  24. mine — for digging

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