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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. cell — in biology
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. band — a ring
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. rock — music
  12. band — a music group
  13. content — the amount
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. content — happy
  16. staff — employees
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. cell — a phone
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bass — the fish
  23. staff — employees
  24. band — a rubber band

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