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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. staff — a stick
  4. march — the month
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bear — the animal
  8. chest — a box
  9. last — final
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. last — to go on
  12. staff — employees
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. chest — of your body
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. last — finally
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chest — of your body
  20. staff — employees
  21. march — the month
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. march — music
  24. bear — the animal

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