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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. net — after costs
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. court — for sport
  6. wind — moving air
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. lie — to recline
  9. net — in sport
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. court — of law
  12. wind — moving air
  13. court — of a king
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. saw — the tool
  19. net — for catching
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. lie — an untruth

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