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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pop — to visit
  4. date — the fruit
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. court — of a king
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. sharp — clever
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lean — to bend
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wound — an injury
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pop — soda
  20. court — for sport
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. lean — thin
  23. court — of law
  24. date — on the calendar

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