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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pop — soda
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pop — music
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. branch — a division
  12. rock — music
  13. season — in sport
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — hurry
  20. season — of the year
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. rock — a stone
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. pop — to visit

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