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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. can — a tin
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. cap — a lid
  5. degree — temperature
  6. cap — of ice
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. degree — an amount
  9. cap — a hat
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. pop — soda
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bass — low music
  15. present — the time now
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. can — a tin
  18. present — a gift
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bass — the fish
  21. degree — from a university
  22. present — there
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bass — the instrument

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