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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  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. jam — a tight spot
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. toast — bread
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. prune — to trim
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. last — to go on
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. last — finally
  13. kid — to tease
  14. march — the month
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. last — final
  22. prune — to trim
  23. kid — child
  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