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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. rest — a break
  3. club — for golf
  4. chest — a box
  5. bass — low music
  6. race — humankind
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. mug — a cup
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mug — a face
  11. club — a group
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rest — what's left
  19. club — for dancing
  20. race — a contest
  21. bass — the fish
  22. rest — what's left
  23. race — the arms race
  24. temple — a place of worship

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