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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bass — low music
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. cell — a phone
  6. rush — hurry
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. fine — all right
  9. spring — of water
  10. net — in sport
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. spring — the season
  13. cell — in biology
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. fine — high quality
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. bass — the fish
  21. spring — a coil
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. rest — a break
  24. rest — what's left

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