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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 120 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 father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. key — the most important part
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bass — the fish
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. key — in music
  17. fork — in a road
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. key — for a lock
  21. bass — low music
  22. wound — an injury
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bore — to tire

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