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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rock — a stone
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. scale — in music
  6. bore — to tire
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. spell — letters
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bore — to drill
  14. rock — music
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — size or range
  20. wind — moving air
  21. spell — magic
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bass — the instrument
  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