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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bass — low music
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. mug — a face
  5. track — a path
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mug — to rob
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. mug — a cup
  11. fall — the season
  12. staff — employees
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. track — a song
  20. track — to keep track
  21. fall — to drop
  22. staff — a stick
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fall — to drop

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