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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. chair — a leader
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. race — humankind
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — the fish
  10. fine — all right
  11. race — a contest
  12. fine — high quality
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. fall — to drop
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. race — the arms race
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. fall — the season
  19. track — a path
  20. track — a song
  21. bass — low music
  22. track — to keep track
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. net — after costs

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