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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 was this ________________ built?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. chest — of your body
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — letters
  5. staff — employees
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. chest — a box
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. staff — employees
  11. roll — a list
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. march — the month
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. season — in sport
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. march — the month
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. march — music
  21. spell — a short time
  22. staff — a stick
  23. chest — of your body
  24. roll — a cake

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