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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rule — a law
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rule — government
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bound — certain
  11. deal — to handle
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. wound — an injury
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. foot — a measure
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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