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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. cell — in biology
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pass — a permit
  7. net — after costs
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. can — a tin
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. net — for catching
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. can — a tin
  21. cell — a phone
  22. sharp — clever
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. net — in sport

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