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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: kid · temple · swing · lie · march · date · shower · bound

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. swing — music
  5. shower — to wash
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bound — certain
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. kid — to tease
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — in golf
  15. shower — rain
  16. march — music
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bound — tied together
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. kid — child
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. bound — obliged
  24. date — the fruit

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