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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bass — low music
  9. squash — the sport
  10. tear — to rip
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. tear — from crying
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. kick — in football
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. saw — the tool

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