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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 · chip · rash · lean · temple · bulb · toast · bat

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. bat — the animal
  3. lean — thin
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — a series
  7. bound — certain
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bulb — for light
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. rash — hasty
  15. chip — for betting
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. toast — bread
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bound — obliged
  24. lean — to rest against

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