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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. mate — a partner
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. pop — soda
  7. vault — a safe
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. pop — to visit
  11. mate — a friend
  12. present — a gift
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — to drill
  15. present — there
  16. last — final
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mate — to breed
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. present — the time now
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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