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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. drill — a practice
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. current — happening now
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. band — a music group
  11. drill — the tool
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. current — electric
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — money
  18. current — of water
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. band — a ring
  23. drill — army training
  24. jam — in traffic

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