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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: sharp · wind · toast · pop · last · bass · temple · kid

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — the fish
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. wind — moving air
  6. last — to go on
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bass — low music
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. pop — music
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — to visit
  20. toast — bread
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. kid — child
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. wind — moving air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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