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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.

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: bass · straw · patient · scale · file · land · temple · pitch

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. scale — size or range
  10. land — ground
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. file — a line of people
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. file — a document
  16. scale — in music
  17. land — a country
  18. bass — low music
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. file — a tool
  21. pitch — completely
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bass — the fish
  24. temple — a place of worship

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