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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. court — of a king
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. can — a tin
  8. lean — thin
  9. clip — for paper
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. lean — to bend
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. clip — a video
  15. rule — government
  16. can — to be able to
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — an illness
  19. court — for sport
  20. clip — to cut
  21. can — a tin
  22. stand — to bear
  23. court — of law
  24. rule — a law

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