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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. sharp — clever
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. lean — thin
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. field — a subject
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. rest — what's left
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. field — farmland
  12. rest — a break
  13. lean — to bend
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bass — the fish
  16. field — for sport
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — low music
  19. pop — to visit
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. rest — what's left
  22. kid — child
  23. pop — music
  24. kid — to tease

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