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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. mug — to rob
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. mug — a face
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. fall — to drop
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. bass — the fish
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bore — to tire
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. bore — to drill
  16. fall — the season
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. mug — a cup
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bat — the animal
  24. ruler — a monarch

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