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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bank — for money
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bank — for money
  5. can — a tin
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bank — of a river
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. object — to protest
  14. content — happy
  15. can — to be able to
  16. content — the amount
  17. march — the month
  18. can — a tin
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — an aim
  24. chair — a leader

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