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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. chest — of your body
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — a partner
  6. cold — an illness
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mate — to breed
  9. firm — steady
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. firm — decided
  14. chest — of your body
  15. cold — not warm
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. chest — a box
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. mine — for digging

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