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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bound — obliged
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. date — the fruit
  8. clip — for paper
  9. chair — a leader
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. deal — to handle
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bound — certain
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — to cut
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bound — tied together

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