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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bound — certain
  3. mate — to breed
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. stem — to come from
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. object — a thing
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — tied together
  13. date — the fruit
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. object — an aim
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. object — to protest
  22. mate — a friend
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. date — on the calendar

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