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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. sharp — clever
  3. pop — to visit
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pop — music
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. season — in sport
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. face — to confront

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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