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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. court — for sport
  4. season — in sport
  5. mug — a cup
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mug — a face
  11. court — of a king
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — of the year
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. branch — a division
  19. court — of law
  20. mug — to rob
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. temple — side of the head

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