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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 120 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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. court — for sport
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. face — to confront
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. spring — the season
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. court — of a king
  11. bat — the animal
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bound — tied together
  14. face — part of the head
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bulb — for light
  17. fork — in a road
  18. court — of law
  19. bulb — for light
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bound — obliged
  22. spring — of water
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. face — to point toward

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