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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. degree — an amount
  5. pop — soda
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. track — to keep track
  8. pop — to visit
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. band — a music group
  12. cell — in biology
  13. band — a ring
  14. track — a path
  15. cell — a phone
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. rock — music
  18. track — a song
  19. degree — temperature
  20. rock — a stone
  21. degree — from a university
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. march — the month
  24. temple — a place of worship

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