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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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Word bank
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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. bound — obliged
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to point toward
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. rule — a law
  12. face — to confront
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bound — tied together
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. rule — government
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. vault — a safe
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bound — certain
  23. cell — a phone
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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