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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. season — of the year
  4. bear — the animal
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a list
  7. pop — music
  8. rest — what's left
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. rest — a break
  11. pop — soda
  12. season — in sport
  13. bear — the animal
  14. roll — a cake
  15. pop — to visit
  16. rest — what's left
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. temple — side of the head

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