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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. last — final
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — low music
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. shower — rain
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bat — the animal
  18. shower — to wash
  19. last — finally
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bound — obliged

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