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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · bass · fall · perch · coach · temple · band · last

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. fall — to drop
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. last — finally
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. last — final
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bass — low music
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. last — to go on
  14. bass — the fish
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. ball — a great time
  18. perch — the fish
  19. ball — a dance
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. band — a ring
  23. fall — the season
  24. band — a music group

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