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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. rest — what's left
  3. spell — letters
  4. hand — help
  5. pop — soda
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. spell — magic
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. spring — the season
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rest — a break
  18. spring — of water
  19. pop — to visit
  20. spring — a coil
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. spell — a short time
  24. wake — a trail

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