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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 120 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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pop — soda
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pop — music
  9. hand — help
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. court — of law
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. court — of a king
  14. wax — to grow
  15. fine — all right
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. fine — high quality
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. hand — in cards
  21. court — for sport
  22. pop — to visit
  23. tube — a container
  24. wax — in the ear

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