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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rash — hasty
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. staff — employees
  5. pitch — completely
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. bore — to drill
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. rash — a series
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. staff — employees
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. present — a gift
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. staff — a stick
  20. present — the time now
  21. present — there
  22. bore — to tire
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. rash — on the skin

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