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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bass — low music
  4. ball — a great time
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — a stone
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. cold — an illness
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. present — the time now
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. ball — a dance
  16. stock — shares
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bass — the fish
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. present — a gift
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. stock — goods
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. rock — music

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