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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mine — for digging
  5. can — a tin
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. court — of law
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. can — a tin
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bulb — for light
  15. kid — child
  16. court — of a king
  17. can — to be able to
  18. court — for sport
  19. march — the month
  20. kid — to tease
  21. march — the month
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. march — music
  24. pop — soda

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