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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. cell — a phone
  3. scale — in music
  4. game — a match
  5. pit — a hole
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — clever
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bass — the fish
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. pit — in a race
  20. plane — a tool
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bass — low music
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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