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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. pop — soda
  3. fork — in a road
  4. mate — a friend
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — to breed
  8. pop — music
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. present — there
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. roll — a list
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. kid — child
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. present — a gift
  20. pop — to visit
  21. present — the time now
  22. roll — a cake
  23. sharp — clever
  24. temple — a place of worship

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