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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bass — low music
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — an illness
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bass — the fish
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. rest — what's left
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cold — not warm
  17. rest — a break
  18. temple — side of the head

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