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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. can — to be able to
  5. pop — to visit
  6. shower — to wash
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. can — a tin
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. can — a tin
  15. craft — a skill
  16. court — of law
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bat — the animal
  19. craft — boats
  20. shower — rain
  21. court — of a king
  22. sharp — clever
  23. pop — music
  24. court — for sport

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