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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a ring
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bass — the fish
  9. court — for sport
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. court — of law
  12. face — to confront
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. race — humankind
  18. court — of a king
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. race — a contest
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bass — low music
  24. face — part of the head

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