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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. firm — steady
  3. track — to keep track
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. shower — rain
  7. march — the month
  8. court — for sport
  9. track — a path
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. ball — a dance
  12. march — music
  13. ball — a great time
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. firm — decided
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. march — the month
  19. shower — to wash
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. firm — a company
  22. track — a song
  23. court — of a king
  24. pound — a weight

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