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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. kid — child
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. foot — a measure
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. kid — to tease
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — to breed
  16. swing — music
  17. row — to paddle
  18. mate — a friend
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — in golf
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. row — a line
  23. mine — for digging
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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