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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. bass — low music
  4. wound — an injury
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. wound — an injury
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bat — the animal
  17. craft — boats
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bass — the instrument

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