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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.

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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: ground · mine · bound · cue · sharp · temple · last · bass

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bound — tied together
  4. cue — a hint
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. ground — crushed
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cue — for pool
  14. ground — a position
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. last — final
  18. last — finally
  19. last — to go on
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bound — certain
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bound — obliged
  24. cue — a signal

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