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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. 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. nail — for a hammer
  4. field — farmland
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bass — low music
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. kid — child
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bat — the animal
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. field — for sport
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. field — a subject
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. 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