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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bore — to tire
  3. land — ground
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bore — to drill
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. land — a country
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — in football
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. land — to come down
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. court — of law
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. court — for sport
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. wound — an injury

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