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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. land — ground
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bound — obliged
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bound — certain
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bound — tied together
  13. pass — a permit
  14. content — happy
  15. land — to come down
  16. season — in sport
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. game — wild animals
  20. season — of the year
  21. land — a country
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. content — the amount
  24. game — a match

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