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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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. vault — in gymnastics
  4. bound — certain
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. bound — obliged
  7. mine — for digging
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. sharp — clever
  10. press — a publisher
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. press — to push
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. press — newspapers
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. vault — a safe
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — calm and waiting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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