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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. squash — the sport
  3. cap — a hat
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. game — a match
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bound — obliged
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bound — certain
  23. cap — of ice
  24. fan — to cool the air

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