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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: cold · rest · temple · fork · bass · jam · bulb · toast

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bass — low music
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. rest — what's left
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. bulb — for light
  9. toast — bread
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. fork — in a road
  12. rest — a break
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. cold — not warm
  23. rest — what's left
  24. fork — to eat with

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