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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mate — a friend
  3. pop — music
  4. clip — to cut
  5. charge — a price
  6. pop — to visit
  7. charge — in control
  8. clip — for paper
  9. pop — soda
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. object — a thing
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. object — an aim
  16. mate — to breed
  17. charge — electricity
  18. mate — a partner
  19. toast — bread
  20. clip — a video
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. object — to protest
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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