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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rush — hurry
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rule — a law
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pop — to visit
  10. rule — government
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. last — to go on
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. last — finally
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitch — completely
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bark — to shout
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. pop — soda
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. last — final

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