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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pop — music
  5. content — happy
  6. content — the amount
  7. pop — soda
  8. club — a group
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. club — for dancing
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cold — an illness
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. club — for golf
  22. cold — not warm
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. temple — a place of worship

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