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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cold — an illness
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. game — wild animals
  6. race — a contest
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. firm — steady
  9. fine — all right
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. fine — high quality
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. race — humankind
  15. chest — a box
  16. race — the arms race
  17. cold — not warm
  18. game — a match
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. firm — decided
  21. firm — a company
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the fish

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