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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. court — of law
  6. board — to get on
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — for digging
  9. cell — in biology
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. court — of a king
  16. dip — to sink
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cell — a phone
  22. chip — to eat
  23. board — a committee
  24. temple — a place of worship

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