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

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. chip — to eat
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. chip — for betting
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. court — of law
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. scale — size or range
  15. ball — a great time
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. scale — in music
  19. ball — a dance
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. scale — for weighing

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