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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. face — to confront
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bank — for money
  10. ground — crushed
  11. date — the fruit
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. ground — a position
  16. hand — help
  17. pop — to visit
  18. ground — the earth
  19. face — to point toward
  20. pop — soda
  21. bank — for money
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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