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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  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. bear — to put up with
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. staff — employees
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. hand — in cards
  8. chest — of your body
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. hand — help
  16. chest — a box
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bear — the animal
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bear — the animal
  24. temple — side of the head

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