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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. ground — crushed
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. court — of law
  6. mark — a trace
  7. staff — a stick
  8. can — a tin
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — the earth
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. staff — employees
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. staff — employees
  21. court — for sport
  22. can — a tin
  23. mark — a grade
  24. court — of a king

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