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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.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bound · mate · temple · charge · drill · press · content · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. press — to push
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. charge — in control
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — obliged
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. drill — the tool
  10. content — happy
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. drill — army training
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. drill — a practice
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bound — tied together
  17. mate — to breed
  18. charge — electricity
  19. content — the amount
  20. charge — a price
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. mate — a friend
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — a publisher

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