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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. pop — to visit
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. content — happy
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pop — music
  11. bank — of a river
  12. pop — soda
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. march — the month
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. foot — a measure
  18. content — the amount
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. bank — for money
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. march — music
  23. bank — for money
  24. march — the month

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