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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. pop — music
  3. cold — an illness
  4. plane — a tool
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. march — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. march — the month
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. squash — to crush
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. cold — not warm
  18. march — the month
  19. pop — to visit
  20. rock — music
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. squash — the sport
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rock — to move gently

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