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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. last — finally
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. roll — a cake
  10. last — to go on
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. bass — low music
  13. staff — a stick
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — to drill
  17. staff — employees
  18. roll — a list
  19. staff — employees
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. last — final
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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