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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: temple · chair · last · arm · jam · pass · bore · cell

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a leader
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. bore — to drill
  10. pass — a permit
  11. cell — a phone
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cell — in biology
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. last — finally
  20. last — to go on
  21. bore — to tire
  22. last — final
  23. pass — to succeed
  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