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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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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: bay · perch · race · sharp · nail · bat · bass · temple

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bass — low music
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. race — the arms race
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. sharp — clever
  18. race — humankind
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bass — the fish
  23. race — a contest
  24. nail — for a hammer

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