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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. shower — rain
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. cold — not warm
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cold — an illness
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. season — of the year
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — for a lock
  18. shower — to wash
  19. pop — soda
  20. key — in music
  21. pop — to visit
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. season — in sport

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