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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. spell — letters
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. spell — magic
  6. band — a music group
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bank — for money
  9. pop — soda
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. court — of law
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. court — of a king
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. court — for sport
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bank — for money
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bank — of a river
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. band — a ring
  23. spell — a short time
  24. pop — music

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