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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 120 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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — tied together
  4. game — a match
  5. drill — a practice
  6. last — final
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. drill — army training
  11. last — to go on
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. drill — the tool
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. last — finally
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bound — obliged

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