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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: object · roll · chest · pound · bass · toast · staff · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. staff — employees
  3. object — an aim
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. object — a thing
  9. bass — low music
  10. pound — a weight
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. roll — a list
  18. chest — a box
  19. roll — a cake
  20. toast — bread
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. object — to protest
  24. pound — to hit hard

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