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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. net — for catching
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bass — the fish
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pit — a hole
  8. bass — low music
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. net — in sport
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. net — after costs
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. pit — in a race
  15. last — finally
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. last — final
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. wake — a trail
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. last — to go on

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