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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bass — low music
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. shower — rain
  9. land — a country
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — all right
  13. dip — to sink
  14. land — ground
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. kid — to tease
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. stand — to bear
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bass — the fish
  21. kid — child
  22. shower — to wash
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. stand — on your feet

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