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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · current · bowl · tear · content · pop · present · temple

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. mate — a friend
  3. content — the amount
  4. present — there
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. current — electric
  9. tear — to rip
  10. mate — a partner
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. pop — to visit
  13. present — the time now
  14. content — happy
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mate — to breed
  19. present — a gift
  20. current — of water
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. current — happening now
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bowl — a football final

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