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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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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: rule · content · rest · temple · coach · wound · pop · stick

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. rule — a law
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. content — happy
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. content — the amount
  11. rest — what's left
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. pop — to visit
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rule — government
  24. temple — a place of worship

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