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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. scale — in music
  4. object — to protest
  5. march — the month
  6. scale — size or range
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bore — to drill
  9. wind — moving air
  10. field — for sport
  11. object — an aim
  12. pop — soda
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. object — a thing
  15. wind — moving air
  16. field — farmland
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. march — the month
  20. field — a subject
  21. march — music
  22. bore — to tire
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pop — to visit

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