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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. pop — music
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. club — for golf
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. club — a group
  15. pop — soda
  16. bass — low music
  17. season — of the year
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. pop — to visit
  24. club — for dancing

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