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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 · march · foot · wind · band · chair · object · temple

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. object — an aim
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. wind — moving air
  6. band — a ring
  7. foot — a measure
  8. object — to protest
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. march — the month
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. march — the month
  14. band — a music group
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. march — music
  17. chair — a leader
  18. object — a thing
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. wind — moving air
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. chair — a professorship

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