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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. tear — from crying
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. land — ground
  12. land — to come down
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. face — to confront
  15. rock — music
  16. pitch — completely
  17. face — to point toward
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bass — low music
  22. rock — a stone
  23. land — a country
  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