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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — not warm
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. present — the time now
  6. pop — to visit
  7. march — the month
  8. present — there
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. cold — an illness
  11. march — the month
  12. present — a gift
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. march — music
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pop — music
  24. temple — side of the head

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