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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. content — happy
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — the amount
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bass — the fish
  12. rest — what's left
  13. tube — a container
  14. board — a committee
  15. bat — the animal
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a line
  18. rest — what's left
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. rest — a break
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bass — low music
  24. board — to get on

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