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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. cold — not warm
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. bound — obliged
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. scale — in music
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. date — the fruit
  12. board — to get on
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. scale — size or range
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. bound — tied together
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. cold — an illness
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bound — certain
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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