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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. firm — a company
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bass — low music
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. firm — steady
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. firm — decided
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bass — the fish
  22. wound — an injury
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wound — an injury

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