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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. clip — for paper
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. mug — a face
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bound — certain
  8. mug — a cup
  9. bound — tied together
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. content — happy
  16. mug — to rob
  17. clip — a video
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. content — the amount
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. clip — to cut
  24. content — videos and posts

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