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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bound — obliged
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bound — certain
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bound — tied together
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rule — government
  12. land — ground
  13. swing — in golf
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — money
  18. land — a country
  19. swing — to play on
  20. rule — a law
  21. land — to come down
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. swing — music
  24. temple — side of the head

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