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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 water is too ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. scale — in music
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. cap — of ice
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. cold — an illness
  11. wound — an injury
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. scale — size or range
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. toast — bread
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. cap — a lid
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. cap — a hat

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