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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rash — hasty
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. object — a thing
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. wind — moving air
  12. object — an aim
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. rash — a series
  15. pit — in a race
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bass — low music
  22. object — to protest
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bowl — a football final

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