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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: bat · temple · can · cold · mug · deal · jam · lean

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. mug — a face
  4. can — to be able to
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. bat — the animal
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mug — to rob
  18. deal — to handle
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. lean — thin
  21. cold — not warm
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bat — for baseball

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