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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. clip — to cut
  3. current — electric
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pop — to visit
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. game — wild animals
  8. pop — music
  9. clip — a video
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pop — soda
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. clip — for paper
  15. current — of water
  16. game — a match
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. ball — a great time
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. current — happening now
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. fan — a supporter

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