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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. mate — a friend
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. mate — a partner
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. lean — to bend
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — to get on
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. mate — to breed
  18. kid — to tease
  19. lean — thin
  20. row — to paddle
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. row — a line
  24. temple — side of the head

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