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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 are we going to ________________?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. band — a ring
  5. land — a country
  6. kick — in football
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. rash — a series
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wound — an injury
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. land — ground
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. rash — hasty
  19. wound — an injury
  20. band — a music group
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. jam — a tight spot

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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