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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — an illness
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. suit — clothes
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. suit — to fit
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. foot — a measure
  12. present — there
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bound — tied together
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. suit — in cards
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. present — the time now
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. present — a gift

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