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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. march — the month
  3. pop — to visit
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pop — music
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pop — soda
  8. march — music
  9. lie — to recline
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. content — the amount
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — to play on
  18. content — happy
  19. prune — to trim
  20. game — a match
  21. march — the month
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. swing — music
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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