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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bass — the fish
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. chest — of your body
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. chest — of your body
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bass — low music
  9. foot — a measure
  10. ground — a position
  11. chest — a box
  12. dip — to sink
  13. rush — hurry
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. pop — to visit
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. ground — the earth
  20. pop — music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. ground — crushed
  24. dip — a sauce

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