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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wind · pop · mine · wave · bat · sharp · charge · temple

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. sharp — clever
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pop — to visit
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. bat — the animal
  8. charge — a price
  9. pop — music
  10. mine — for digging
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. charge — in control
  19. charge — electricity
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. wind — moving air
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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