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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. file — a document
  5. staff — employees
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. file — a line of people
  11. game — wild animals
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. staff — a stick
  15. march — the month
  16. rash — hasty
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. file — a tool
  19. game — a match
  20. march — music
  21. staff — employees
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. snap — to click
  24. march — the month

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