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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. bass — the fish
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. mate — to breed
  6. court — of law
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — for a lock
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. mate — a friend
  13. field — farmland
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. mate — a partner
  16. field — a subject
  17. key — in music
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bass — low music
  21. field — for sport
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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