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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rule — government
  3. cold — an illness
  4. rule — a law
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — of ice
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. suit — to fit
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. suit — clothes
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bound — obliged
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cold — not warm
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bound — certain
  20. branch — a division
  21. suit — in cards
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. branch — of a tree

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