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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: ruler · fan · jam · foot · row · temple · pound · cold

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — an illness
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. foot — a measure
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. cold — not warm
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. row — a line
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pound — a weight
  18. row — to paddle
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. pound — for dogs

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