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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. bound — obliged
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. prune — to trim
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. rule — government
  16. bound — tied together
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. craft — a skill
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rule — a law
  24. bound — certain

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