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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. season — in sport
  3. bank — for money
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — a phone
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. wound — an injury
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. season — of the year
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bound — obliged
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bank — of a river
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bank — for money
  21. wound — an injury
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  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