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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 · temple · pit · last · trunk · season · ball · rest

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bound — obliged
  4. rest — what's left
  5. last — to go on
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rest — a break
  12. ball — a great time
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. last — final
  15. season — in sport
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bound — certain
  18. last — finally
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. ball — a dance
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. season — of the year
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pit — in a race

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