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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. mug — a cup
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mug — to rob
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — an illness
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. chest — a box
  16. mug — a face
  17. bear — the animal
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bear — the animal
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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