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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. hand — in cards
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. mug — a face
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mug — to rob
  11. pop — soda
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. club — for dancing
  15. hand — help
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pop — to visit
  18. club — a group
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bore — to tire
  21. club — for golf
  22. mug — a cup
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bore — to drill

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