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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. cold — an illness
  4. season — of the year
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. chair — a leader
  7. cold — not warm
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. pit — a hole
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pit — in a race
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. season — in sport
  24. wave — with your hand

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