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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.

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: pit · fan · temple · rash · bass · kid · hide · bulb

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pit — a hole
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bulb — for light
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bulb — for light
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — child
  15. pit — in a race
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. rash — a series
  24. bass — the fish

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