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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. race — humankind
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wake — a trail
  5. court — of law
  6. race — a contest
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. court — of a king
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. pop — to visit
  16. court — for sport
  17. race — the arms race
  18. march — the month
  19. bore — to tire
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. march — the month
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. march — music
  24. pop — soda

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