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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. wind — moving air
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. court — for sport
  8. wind — moving air
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. court — of law
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. court — of a king
  18. game — a match

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