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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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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. mine — for digging
  4. court — of law
  5. object — a thing
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — happy
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. court — for sport
  11. saw — the tool
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. saw — the tool
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. object — to protest
  19. bass — the fish
  20. court — of a king
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. object — an aim
  23. bass — low music
  24. content — videos and posts

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