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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. last — finally
  3. suit — to fit
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. band — a music group
  6. last — to go on
  7. pop — music
  8. suit — in cards
  9. bank — of a river
  10. last — final
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. ball — a dance
  14. band — a ring
  15. ball — a great time
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. suit — clothes
  19. bank — for money
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. pop — soda
  24. bank — for money

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