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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. rest — what's left
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. cold — an illness
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. cold — not warm
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. rest — what's left
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bound — certain
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — the fruit
  17. pit — a hole
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. pit — in a race
  20. rest — a break
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bound — tied together
  23. tear — from crying
  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