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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. stand — to bear
  3. row — to paddle
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. content — happy
  7. row — a line
  8. pit — in a race
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. content — the amount
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. foot — a measure
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. deal — to handle
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. pit — a hole
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. stand — for spectators

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