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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 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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bound — obliged
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. vault — a safe
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. hand — help
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. hand — in cards
  18. staff — employees
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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