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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bound — certain
  3. cold — not warm
  4. club — for dancing
  5. bass — low music
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — a trail
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. spell — letters
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. bass — the fish
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bound — obliged
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. club — for golf
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bound — tied together
  18. club — a group
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. cold — an illness
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. spell — magic

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