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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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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. sharp — clever
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. mine — for digging
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. perch — the fish
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. pop — music
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pop — soda
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mark — a grade
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. mark — a trace
  23. deal — to handle
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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