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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — crushed
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. shower — to wash
  7. land — a country
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bass — low music
  12. shower — rain
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. land — ground
  16. ground — a position
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. land — to come down
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. band — a music group
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bass — the fish
  24. safe — out of danger

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