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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. court — of law
  3. row — to paddle
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. field — farmland
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. rush — hurry
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. field — a subject
  12. court — of a king
  13. field — for sport
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. row — a line
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. court — for sport
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. branch — a division
  24. temple — a place of worship

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