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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. rule — a law
  3. vault — a safe
  4. mug — to rob
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. court — of a king
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. mug — a cup
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. mug — a face
  12. court — of law
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. rule — government
  16. present — a gift
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. present — there
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. court — for sport
  22. present — the time now
  23. branch — a division
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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