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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. spring — of water
  3. court — for sport
  4. spring — a coil
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. rule — government
  7. court — of law
  8. court — of a king
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. march — the month
  12. rule — a law
  13. content — happy
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. spring — the season
  18. march — music
  19. content — the amount
  20. fine — all right
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. fine — high quality
  24. march — the month

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