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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 120 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. object — a thing
  3. cap — of ice
  4. pit — a hole
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. object — to protest
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. drill — army training
  10. pop — to visit
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. pop — soda
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wind — moving air
  20. cap — a hat
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. object — an aim
  23. pit — in a race
  24. cap — a lid

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