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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bass — low music
  5. pop — soda
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for golf
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bass — the fish
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — after costs
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. file — a line of people
  16. net — for catching
  17. file — a document
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pop — to visit
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. club — for dancing
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pop — 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