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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. present — there
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. sharp — clever
  10. present — a gift
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. land — ground
  14. court — for sport
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. land — a country
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. land — to come down
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. court — of a king
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. dip — to sink
  24. present — the time now

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