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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. field — for sport
  3. rule — government
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. net — for catching
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — a law
  8. court — of law
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mate — to breed
  12. court — for sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. net — in sport
  15. season — in sport
  16. field — a subject
  17. court — of a king
  18. field — farmland
  19. mate — a partner
  20. net — after costs
  21. mug — a face
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. mate — a friend

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