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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bass — low music
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — child
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. mine — for digging
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. chair — a leader
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bass — the fish
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. toast — bread
  24. safe — out of danger

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