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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bass — low music
  4. present — a gift
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. squash — the sport
  8. present — the time now
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — a series
  13. present — there
  14. stand — to bear
  15. squash — to crush
  16. foot — a measure
  17. rash — hasty
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. land — a country
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. land — to come down
  24. bass — the fish

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