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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bass — the fish
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bound — obliged
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. band — a music group
  7. game — wild animals
  8. chest — a box
  9. bound — certain
  10. mine — for digging
  11. game — a match
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bound — tied together
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. chest — of your body
  18. band — a ring
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bass — low music
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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