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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a hole
  4. wound — an injury
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. can — a tin
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. scale — in music
  12. branch — a division
  13. file — a document
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. file — a tool
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bass — low music
  18. file — a line of people
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. bass — the fish
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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