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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rest — what's left
  3. current — electric
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. court — of law
  6. current — of water
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. fork — in a road
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. cold — an illness
  14. net — after costs
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. rest — what's left
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. current — happening now
  19. cold — not warm
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. rest — a break
  22. net — for catching
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of a king

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