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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. swing — music
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bear — the animal
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. swing — in golf
  9. pop — music
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. last — to go on
  14. pop — soda
  15. last — final
  16. bear — the animal
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. row — a line
  21. last — finally
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. row — to paddle
  24. snap — to click

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