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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. squash — to crush
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rule — a law
  7. bass — the fish
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. wax — to grow
  11. mug — to rob
  12. rule — government
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. mug — a cup
  15. spring — the season
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. spring — a coil
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. mug — a face
  22. bass — low music
  23. spring — of water
  24. squash — the sport

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