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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. band — a ring
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bound — tied together
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. band — a music group
  14. mark — a trace
  15. rash — a series
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bound — certain
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. pound — a weight
  21. rash — hasty
  22. pitch — completely
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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