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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 120 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. face — to confront
  3. pop — soda
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bound — certain
  6. pop — to visit
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bound — tied together
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. pop — music
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bound — obliged
  16. face — to point toward
  17. degree — an amount
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. face — part of the head
  20. wound — an injury
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. degree — from a university
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. degree — temperature

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