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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. court — of a king
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wound — an injury
  5. spell — a short time
  6. suit — to fit
  7. spell — magic
  8. court — of law
  9. pass — a permit
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. clip — for paper
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. clip — a video
  16. suit — clothes
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. spell — letters
  21. clip — to cut
  22. suit — in cards
  23. court — for sport
  24. saw — the tool

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