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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pitch — completely
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pop — music
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. hand — help
  19. rest — a break
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pop — soda
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. bat — the 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