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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. band — a ring
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bound — tied together
  7. cap — a hat
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. band — a music group
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cap — a lid
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — the animal
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. bound — certain

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