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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. last — to go on
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. spell — a short time
  7. march — the month
  8. last — finally
  9. court — of a king
  10. march — the month
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bank — for money
  13. court — of law
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bank — for money
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. march — music
  20. bank — of a river
  21. spell — letters
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. last — final
  24. spell — magic

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