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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. row — a line
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. mug — a face
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. content — the amount
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. pound — a weight
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. mug — a cup
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. row — to paddle
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. content — happy
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. squash — to crush
  23. mug — to rob
  24. kick — in football

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