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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pop — to visit
  3. swing — music
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. charge — a price
  12. swing — in golf
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. pop — soda
  15. swing — to play on
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. chest — of your body
  18. charge — electricity
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. chest — a box
  23. pop — music
  24. charge — in control

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