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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. board — a committee
  7. net — after costs
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. mark — a trace
  10. board — to get on
  11. net — for catching
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to drill
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. roll — a list
  18. net — in sport
  19. bore — to tire
  20. wound — an injury
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. mark — a grade
  23. wound — an injury
  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