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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bass — low music
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. mate — to breed
  6. vault — a safe
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bass — the fish
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. net — for catching
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a great time
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — hurry
  22. net — after costs
  23. mate — a friend
  24. net — in sport

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