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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rest — what's left
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. shower — rain
  6. rest — a break
  7. shower — to wash
  8. band — a ring
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — for digging
  14. rest — what's left
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. court — of law
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. band — a music group
  20. chip — to eat
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. court — for sport
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — in a computer

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