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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bound — obliged
  3. stand — to bear
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bound — tied together
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. content — happy
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. rush — hurry
  16. pass — a permit
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. net — for catching
  21. bound — certain
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. content — the amount

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