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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. pop — soda
  3. bass — low music
  4. rule — a law
  5. rush — hurry
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bass — the fish
  9. pop — to visit
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. rest — a break
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rule — government
  16. pop — music
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rest — what's left
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — rain

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