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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. cold — not warm
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. season — of the year
  21. bound — tied together
  22. season — in sport
  23. cold — an illness
  24. trunk — of a car

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