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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. charge — a price
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. cue — a hint
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bound — tied together
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bound — certain
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cue — for pool
  15. squash — the sport
  16. cue — a signal
  17. squash — to crush
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. charge — electricity
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bound — obliged
  23. wind — moving air
  24. charge — in control

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