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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — music
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. pop — soda
  8. sharp — clever
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. capital — money
  11. last — final
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. track — a song
  16. last — to go on
  17. cue — for pool
  18. capital — a city
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — a signal
  22. track — to keep track
  23. last — finally
  24. track — a path

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