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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: cold · temple · chip · perch · season · wake · jam · roll

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. season — in sport
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. cold — an illness
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. roll — a cake
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. chip — to eat
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. roll — a list
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. chip — for betting
  20. wake — a trail
  21. perch — the fish
  22. season — of the year
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cold — not warm

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