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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. squash — to crush
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bound — obliged
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — certain
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. squash — the sport
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. rash — hasty
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. file — a tool
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. roll — a cake
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. file — a document
  24. roll — a list

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