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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bound — tied together
  3. cold — an illness
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — music
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bound — certain
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. game — wild animals
  13. track — a path
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bear — the animal
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. track — to keep track
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bound — obliged
  22. net — for catching
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. game — a match

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