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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. date — the fruit
  7. current — of water
  8. current — electric
  9. bass — low music
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. game — a match
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. game — wild animals
  15. drill — army training
  16. current — happening now
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rush — hurry
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. chair — a leader
  23. rush — to hurry
  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