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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — low music
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — to visit
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. face — to point toward
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. capital — a city
  10. bass — the fish
  11. pop — soda
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. face — part of the head
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. perch — the fish
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. capital — money
  20. face — to confront
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bulb — for light
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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