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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bound — tied together
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — for betting
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. branch — a division
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. charge — in control
  17. bound — certain
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. charge — a price
  21. charge — electricity
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. temple — a place of worship

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