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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. band — a ring
  3. court — of law
  4. court — of a king
  5. cap — a hat
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. band — a music group
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. court — for sport
  13. kid — child
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cap — of ice
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. cell — a phone
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bowl — a dish

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