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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pop — music
  4. current — electric
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. ground — the earth
  9. current — happening now
  10. pop — soda
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. fall — to drop
  13. suit — clothes
  14. ground — a position
  15. pop — to visit
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. ground — crushed
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. suit — to fit
  20. suit — in cards
  21. squash — to crush
  22. hand — in cards
  23. squash — the sport
  24. current — of water

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