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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. object — a thing
  5. hand — help
  6. current — electric
  7. current — happening now
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. march — the month
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. march — the month
  17. current — of water
  18. object — to protest
  19. object — an aim
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pop — to visit
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. pop — soda
  24. march — music

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