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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 120 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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. march — the month
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. court — of law
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. court — of a king
  8. march — music
  9. deal — to handle
  10. suit — to fit
  11. spring — a coil
  12. degree — from a university
  13. march — the month
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. suit — clothes
  16. spring — of water
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — temperature
  22. spring — the season
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. suit — in cards

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