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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. charge — a price
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. mate — a partner
  5. present — there
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bass — the fish
  8. charge — in control
  9. bound — tied together
  10. charge — electricity
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bound — certain
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bound — obliged
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. present — a gift
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — low music
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. present — the time now
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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