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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. court — of law
  3. chest — a box
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chest — of your body
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. hand — in cards
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chest — of your body
  11. club — a group
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — for sport
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. fine — all right
  19. club — for golf
  20. chip — for betting
  21. fine — high quality
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. hand — help
  24. club — for dancing

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