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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mate — a friend
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. face — part of the head
  6. mate — a partner
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. band — a music group
  12. face — to point toward
  13. field — for sport
  14. face — to confront
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. field — farmland
  19. band — a ring
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. field — a subject

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