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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. chest — of your body
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. can — a tin
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. shower — to wash
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bass — the fish
  12. rush — hurry
  13. chest — a box
  14. can — a tin
  15. bass — low music
  16. can — to be able to
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. shower — rain

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