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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. mine — for digging
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. face — to confront
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bass — low music
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. face — to point toward
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. face — part of the head
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bass — the fish
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mine — belonging to me

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