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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  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. bound — tied together
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. present — the time now
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. content — happy
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. present — there
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — the amount
  20. present — a gift
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bound — obliged
  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