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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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468
Word bank
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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. chair — a leader
  3. fall — the season
  4. squash — to crush
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bass — the fish
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. fall — to drop
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. snap — to click
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fall — to drop
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bass — low music
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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