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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. face — to confront
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bound — obliged
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bound — certain
  13. foot — a measure
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bound — tied together
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. mine — for digging
  21. face — part of the head
  22. plane — a tool
  23. face — to point toward
  24. temple — side of the head

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