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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. firm — a company
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. chair — a leader
  10. wax — to grow
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. firm — decided
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. firm — steady
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. bat — the animal
  19. wound — an injury
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. chair — a professorship

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