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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — obliged
  6. last — to go on
  7. mug — a face
  8. ground — crushed
  9. clip — a video
  10. ground — a position
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. fine — all right
  13. mug — to rob
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. mug — a cup
  17. last — finally
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. last — final
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bound — certain
  22. fine — high quality
  23. rush — hurry
  24. clip — to cut

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