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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bass — low music
  3. ball — a great time
  4. mate — a partner
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pitch — completely
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bass — the fish
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. mate — to breed
  15. ball — a dance
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. chest — a box
  21. mate — a friend
  22. chest — of your body
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. pitch — a sports field

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