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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: jam · bay · temple · deal · last · mark · swing · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. mark — a grade
  3. last — to go on
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. swing — in golf
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. deal — to handle
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. mark — a trace
  20. swing — music
  21. last — finally
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. swing — to play on
  24. last — final

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