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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bound — tied together
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bound — certain
  13. game — a match
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bound — obliged
  23. cell — in biology
  24. shower — rain

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