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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. fine — all right
  6. mug — a cup
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. court — of a king
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. fine — high quality
  13. band — a music group
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. court — of law
  16. land — a country
  17. court — for sport
  18. land — to come down
  19. band — a ring
  20. saw — the tool
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. land — ground
  23. mug — to rob
  24. ruler — for measuring

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