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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. bound — certain
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bank — of a river
  5. cell — a phone
  6. rule — government
  7. root — of a word
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. rule — a law
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bank — for money
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. court — of law
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — tied together
  20. march — music
  21. root — the cause
  22. bank — for money
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of a king

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