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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bear — the animal
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — hurry
  8. court — of a king
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — tied together
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. court — of law
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. hand — in cards
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bound — certain
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. court — for sport
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. hand — help

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