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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pop — music
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pop — soda
  7. bulb — for light
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. content — happy
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pop — to visit
  22. content — the amount
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. mine — for digging

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