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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: spring · racket · bear · pop · temple · scale · pitch · rash

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. rash — a series
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. pop — music
  8. spring — the season
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. spring — a coil
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pop — soda
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. rash — hasty
  17. spring — of water
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. scale — in music
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pitch — completely
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. scale — size or range

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