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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. lean — thin
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. spell — magic
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — the time now
  8. spell — a short time
  9. fine — all right
  10. lean — to bend
  11. court — of a king
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. court — of law
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. fine — high quality
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — music
  20. spell — letters
  21. present — there
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pop — soda

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