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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bound — obliged
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. clip — for paper
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. pass — a permit
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bound — tied together
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bound — certain
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. ball — a great time
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. clip — a video
  19. ball — a dance
  20. fork — in a road
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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