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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. track — a path
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. hand — help
  6. track — to keep track
  7. pop — soda
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. wake — a trail
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. track — a song
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. roll — a cake
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. hand — in cards
  21. roll — a list
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. calf — a young animal

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