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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bound — obliged
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. bulb — for light
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. content — the amount
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bound — certain
  12. bat — the animal
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. content — happy
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bulb — for light

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