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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. pop — to visit
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rash — a series
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. rash — hasty
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. shower — rain
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. pop — soda
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. net — after costs
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. can — to be able to

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