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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. mate — to breed
  3. current — electric
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. band — a ring
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. key — the most important part
  9. pop — music
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. current — happening now
  12. march — the month
  13. current — of water
  14. march — music
  15. mate — a partner
  16. march — the month
  17. pop — soda
  18. key — for a lock
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. mate — a friend
  24. key — in 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